


The Fame Monster

by xanderbot13



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Drama, Fluff, Friendship, Gender Neutral Pronouns, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Health Issues, Mute Frisk, Reader's gender is not mentioned, Romance, Slow Burn, additional tags to be added later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-05-15 11:46:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 40,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5784184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xanderbot13/pseuds/xanderbot13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A robot walks into a bar...and turns your whole life upside down. </p><p>You're an underground musician trying to make a name for yourself while struggling to survive your day-to-day life. One day, during your gig at the bar & cafe you play at every weekend in a luxurious hotel, Mettaton, the world-wide famous robot superstar, walks in mid-performance. From that moment on, he invaded your mind, and you found yourself slowly getting caught up in his world. Along with all it's magic and madness, it's great adventures and royal disasters. But nothing safe is worth the drive, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm Xander, and this is my very first fanfic in like 5 years. I just really love Undertale, and I'm in love with this robot so I started this thing. I promise to make it as good as I possibly can. I'll warn you though. I will not be merciful with the feels ;) 
> 
> I hope you like it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suggested listening: Welcome to New York - Taylor Swift
> 
> Note: the setting may or may not be New York. It all depends where you imagine it happening. But I only chose this song cuz it's fitting :)

"Blooky, look," Mettaton called his cousin excitedly, watching out the window with a lit up expression. Napstablook floated over to his side and looked out the window next to him.

"Oh...we're almost there..." they muttered in a small, whispery voice.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Mettaton smiled down at the expanding view of the city below them. "Look at all those bright lights. Imagine all the beautiful people living here!" he exclaimed.

"Shh...Shyren is sleeping..." Napstablook said quietly.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry," Mettaton said in a lower voice, glancing over at the couch on the other side, where Shyren slept in her portable tank-bed. "I'm just really excited about moving here," he gave his cousin a warm smile and glanced out the window again.

"M-me too...I think..." They smiled softly back at him.

"I'm glad we finally have our own studio. It's a huge building, and we have this awesome lounge room for our practices and things like that, and the recording studio is flawless. Everything is wide and spacious enough, and it's beautifully decorated. You're gonna love it, Blooky," He smiled down at the small ghost beside him.

"Yeah...I hope..." they offered a small smile. Mettaton shifted closer and put an arm around them affectionately.

"I'm just really happy with how things are going. We got a band together, we have millions of fans all over the world, we've already been to so many places and still got places to discover, and humans are absolutely in love with us. Isn't it incredible? We have everything," he smiled widely. "Oh, our human fans are fantastic. I love the humans, I can't help myself," he sighed in a dreamy haze.

"I like the ones who smile in our shows...and ask before hugging me...and the ones who don't walk through me..." Napstablook commented in a soft voice.

"That's true, Blooky," Mettaton pulled his cousin a little closer. "I'm not gonna let anyone walk through you, though. No one should do that. You're Napstablook, the famous spooky DJ," he smirked at them.

"Thanks...Mettaton..." Napstablook shed a few happy tears as they smiled softly up at Mettaton.

"I'm just stating facts, Blooky. You're fantastic," he returned a soft smile and squeezed their side softly, then turned his gaze out the window again. "I hope I meet a lot of humans," he mentioned after a moment.

"But...you've met a lot of humans..." Napstablook pointed out.

"That's true...I've met plenty of my beloved human fans, and I am acquainted with several human celebrities," he smiled smugly. "But I wanna know a human...up close, like...a real person. If that make any sense..."

Blooky simply shook their head, not understanding a word.

Mettaton chuckled softly. "Yeah, I guess it doesn't," he sighed, marveling at the view of the twinkling city lights below.


	2. First Glance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our story begins here, in this sleepless city, where anything and everything could happen. Except, nothing really ever happens to you. Until today.

With your heart on your sleeve and your head completely lost in the melody of your song, you looked out into your captivated audience, flashing a bright smile, when suddenly, without a warning, your eyes caught sight of a glowing pink eye among the crowd.

Your eyes went wide for a split second, your heart skipped a beat, and you anxiously struck the wrong chord on your guitar. Your slightly shaky fingers quickly recovered and danced around your tiny mistake as you continued playing. As the song came to an end, the small audience clapped and cheered for you. Except for one. Sitting at the very back of the room, almost inconspicuously, he just continued to smugly stare at you with a piercing gaze and a cheeky smirk plastered on his face. Your eyes locked with his for a second and your cheeks went red. You looked away quickly, composed your face, and glanced at the rest of your audience lovingly.

"Thank you so much, you've been a fantastic audience. Goodnight everyone, I hope you enjoyed!" You spoke softly into the mic, trying to hide how nervous you actually were, and briefly threw out the peace sign with your hand. Then you proceeded to turn off the equipment, unplug your guitar and all that jazz, and headed off the stage. You quickly stopped by the small employees room to slide your card in the electronic time clock thing and record your leaving time, and tried to reach the exit of the cafe as soon as possible, resisting the urge to break into a run. Your heart raced.

 _HOLY SHIT WHAT IS THIS RIDICULOUSLY FAMOUS ROBOT DOING HERE?!_ You thought. Well, it probably shouldn't have been too strange, as the Moreau was, in fact, a 5 star hotel, one in which various celebrities had stayed at. But still, of all places, here? You were pretty sure he had better and more important things to do than to sit around at some random bar  & cafe in the hotel on a Friday night and listen to a painfully unknown, poor excuse of an artist...? And the way he just kept smirking was just…ugh…  
All these thoughts and more ran through your head as you dashed through the large, lavish corridors of the hotel, until you reached the exit towards the employee parking lot.

On your way home you just couldn't stop thinking of what had just happened. You had undoubtedly not seen this coming. You had been warned, but you didn't know it was for real. And of course, you knew he was in town, everyone and their cat knew that. The news was everywhere. But for Mettaton - _the_ Mettaton EX- to be there, in the exact same place, at the exact same time as you played your weekly gig at Black Birds Bar  & Cafe kinda sent shivers down your spine. You weren't even a huge fan of his or his band or anything. But it was still quite shocking. He was, after all, the most famous superstar of the moment. And you were, well, a nobody. Him along with his band -made up of two other monsters, a small DJ ghost and a small fish-like monster with a breathy, melodious voice- had exploded in fame almost right after the barrier has been destroyed around three years ago, and were currently breaking records in the music industry, having an excessive amount of sales and awards, sold out shows everywhere, and obviously, hoards of fans all over the world. You, however, merely knew a few of his #1 singles, due to them being played everywhere. Literally everywhere. You couldn't walk two blocks or get a fucking latte without hearing them. Everyone found his music to be a huge breakthrough.

You had to admit, his music was pretty catchy, and his voice was flawless like an angel's, but it wasn't exactly your thing.

You couldn't take your mind off of those brief instants in which your eyes locked with his though. Or, his one visible eye. His gaze was just so...intense? It penetrated through your cornea like a sharp needle. You couldn't take it off your mind. It still stung.

You couldn't help but wonder...Why was he there? Shouldn't he have been like, super busy working on his next big hit or preparing for another show or whatever it is that superstars do? Why did he keep smirking like that? What was going through his mind as he watched you play? He must've thought you were playing so terribly that it was amusing to watch. That was it, wasn't it? Your anxiety started to kick in. He probably noticed every single mistake. He probably noticed the way you got so flustered when he looked at you and that probably fed his giant ego. He would probably tell his band all about that crappy musician at the cafe and they would all laugh. He probably thought you looked pathetic up there...

Before your negative thoughts could completely consume your soul, the car behind you loudly honked at you. Alarmed, you saw that the stoplight you were at had turned green. You abruptly hit the pedal and continued driving, trying to concentrate better on the road and cursing at yourself for being so foolish.

That stupid robot was going to ruin your life, wasn't he?

☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆

The night before, you had been hanging out with Sans, a close friend of yours, at his apartment. You two were on the couch, eating pizza and watching t.v. when suddenly, an MTT commercial came on.

"Beauties and gentlebeauties," he spoke energetically while striking different poses across the screen. "I know you've been _dying_ for this moment to happen, but it's finally here! Me and my band are excited to announce that we are relocating MTT Studios to your city!" he exclaimed as the camera zoomed out to show the background location, which was the brand new building for his studio. "So, I hope we'll see each other soon, darlings!" He winked as the camera focused back on him and twirled gracefully. In another shot, he was apparently wearing a pink bikini with sequins on top of his chassis, with a striped pink and black scarf adorning his neck, sitting gracefully on top of a pile of obviously-fake fall leafs. "I also wanted to take a moment and remind you that the new MTT-Brand Fall collection is here! If you wanna look as fashionable as me, don't forget to stop by the nearest store and get a fabulous outfit like mine!" he posed dramatically as he flashed a blinding smile at the camera. "See you soon, darlings!" the camera zoomed into his face as he winked, ending the commercial.

"Who sells bikinis during fall?" you snickered as you took another bite from your pizza.

"Mettaton," Sans replied simply. you shook your head in amusement.

"I bet Caitlyn's gonna buy all of them," you joked after finishing that last bite. Caitlyn, your rich friend, was a huge Mettaton fan.

"And she's gonna look great," Sans commented in a sly tone. You shot him a look. "What? You gotta admit it's true," he laughed.

You shook your head disapprovingly at him with a small grin on your face.

"My eyes can't help but _swim_ all over her," he smirked. You shot him another look.

"Sans!" You exclaimed exasperated. he laughed again, knowing how much it annoyed you. You shook your head and turned back to the T.V. "Oh gosh, she's gonna go nuts over this whole Mettaton thing though," you sighed. "She's probably gonna like, make her driver take her everywhere he goes so she can stalk him around the whole city or something," you laughed slightly.

"Did you know he used to be a box?" Sans mentioned.

"Huh?" You quirked an eyebrow at him.

"His previous form was a literal box on a wheel, before he came to the surface and exploded in fame among humans. He looked like a calculator," he laughed, looking through his phone. "Here, take a look," he handed you the phone. You took it, looking at him with a curious expression.

You stared at the picture on the screen in disbelief. "That's him? Seriously?"

"Yeah," he snickered.

"Oh gosh," you covered your mouth and nose with a hand as you cracked up, handing the phone back to him.

"Don't think Mettaton was even a bit less conceited than he is now though," he joked.

"Oh, I believe you," you chuckled.

"Did anyone say Mettaton?!" Sans' young brother burst out of his room and ran to the living room where you sat.

"Yes, he was here a while ago. He just left though," Sans teased him.

"Sans!" Papyrus exclaimed exasperated. Sans laughed.

"His commercial just came on," you told him. "You know, the one where he announces his new studio here. And uh, his new fall collection," you muttered.

"Oh, I've seen that one! He looks _gorgeous_ with those eyes...and his perfect hair..." he sighed as his eyes lit up.

"And his 'fall bikini'?" You teased, putting up air quotes with your hands. Papyrus blushed.

"Th-that too," he admitted, turning his blushing face away.

"I'm pretty sure that was mostly fan service though," you told Sans jokingly.

"Hey, Papyrus, would you say he's _fan_ dsome?" Sans smirked at him. You and Papyrus groaned simultaneously. He chuckled at your reactions.

"Sans, that was so bad. Like, even for you, man," you teased him.

"That's it, goodbye," Papyrus said, annoyed at his brother, and left to his room again. But promptly came back and took three slices of pizza from the box in front of you and left again.

You and Sans just kept watching T.V. and talking casually.

"You know what would be really funny?" he said after a while.

"What?" you asked, nonchalantly.

"If Mettaton were to check-in at the Moreau tomorrow at 11pm and on his way to his room, pass by the corridor where Black Birds is and hear you sing, and come into the cafe right in that unlucky second when you strum a wrong chord or something. And then stay to watch," he chuckled mischievously.

You gasped and dropped your pizza on your plate. "Sans, that's not funny," you said in a slightly scared tone. "That's not gonna happen, is it?" you asked nervously. You had learned a while ago that he somehow...knew things. He sometimes seemed to know more than he was supposed to. He never really explained though. He just knew stuff. And he just sounded really specific right now. Too specific...

He laughed. "Chill. I'm just joking," he smirked at you. You glared at him playfully.

"You better be."

☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆

You opened the door to your one-room apartment, dropped your guitar case beside the small coffee table and flopped down face first on your comfy couch. This had been a really long day, and to top it all off, you were now getting all worked up because of tonight's earlier incidence. It shouldn't have been a big deal, someone else could've probably shaken it off pretty easily, but you had the great fortune to be an anxiety driven person who could barely handle things. You felt absolutely humiliated -that stupid smirk was still burning at the very front of your mind- and all you wanted to do was hide in your room forever. Also, you wanted to kill Sans. But for now, you decided to try and forget about it with a little T.V and a good night's sleep. Tomorrow would be a better day. Hopefully.

You reached for the remote and turned on the T.V, flipping through the channels looking for something that could hold your attention for more than 5 seconds. Finally, you settled for reruns of an old series you kinda liked, called Pals. Feeling your stomach growl, you remembered you hadn't eaten anything since lunch, so you got up and went to your fridge to rummage for something to eat. Nothing seemed too appetizing, but you settled for the pizza leftovers you brought from last night. You put the last three slices in the microwave and while you waited, you poured yourself a glass of juice. Finally, you heard the beep from the microwave and took your plate out. It smelled delicious. Your stomach growled again. You took both the glass of juice and the plate to the coffee table in front of the couch, ready to devour your pizza and enjoy a little T.V before bed. You checked the time on your phone. 1:30am. You had to get up early tomorrow for work, but fuck it. You were so goddamn hungry. And you deserved a little treat for having survived another whole day.

•-•-•-•-•-•

You suddenly woke up to loud, upbeat music, followed by a peculiar voice announcing something, but you couldn't make out what it was at first. Then it hit you. Your eyes flew open and stared at the T.V. It was Mettaton. It was that other stupid commercial of him announcing the great and fabulous renovations going on in his hotel, MTT Resort, which would re-open soon. You grumbled, reaching for the remote and turned off the T.V. Looking around, you suddenly realized. You had fallen asleep on your couch. Again. For the 3rd night in a row. You checked your phone to see the time. 3:36am. Sighing, you took your plate and your glass to the sink, stepped into the bathroom to take care of your nightly routine, and headed straight to bed without even bothering to change into PJs or get under the covers.

Tomorrow was another long day. You needed to save energy for what was coming.

Oh, you had _no_ idea.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright so...I hope that was a good beginning. Please tell me what you think :) unless you think it's total garbage. In that case, don't tell me cuz I cry easily. 
> 
> Also, if you ever wanna talk about the fic or send me stuff or just stalk me for some reason or whatever, find me here:
> 
> Tumblr: xanderbot13  
> Twitter: @xanderbot13  
> Instagram: xanderbot13  
> Email: xanderbot13@gmail.com
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Have a great day :)


	3. Let the Game Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: negative thoughts, implied anxiety attack  
> (If you need me to add other warnings, please let me know)

*Suggested Listening: Jane Doe - Never Shout Never*

The next morning, not many hours after you passed out on your bed, you begrudgingly woke up early and got dressed quickly to go to one of your piano student's house for their lesson. They were a sweet, small child with an incomparable determination, and they absolutely loved learning piano with you. They were the most adorable little thing, and you had grown quite attached to them after almost two years of teaching them.

You rang their house's doorbell, and after a moment, a tall, goat-like person opened the door.

"Oh, hello, my dear child," She greeted you with a warm smile, "Come in, you must be freezing. How are you this morning? Do you want some coffee, or pie before you start?"

"Hi, Toriel," you kindly smiled back at her as you went inside, "um, I'm good, how about you? Also, thank you so much, but I just had breakfast, so maybe later I'll accept your offer," you smiled politely.

"That's alright, dear. Oh, I've been great, thank you," she exclaimed as she walked you over to the small living room where you both sat down on the couch while you waited for her child to come downstairs. "Yesterday I had a great time with the kids. I took them on a field trip to the natural history museum. They were all so excited about every exhibition. Even I learned a lot. We all had a lot of fun," she smiled brightly.

Toriel was a teacher at an elementary school nearby. Actually, it had been the very first elementary school for both monster and human children, and she had been the founder. After it was founded about 3 years ago -right after the barrier had been broken and all the monsters came to live on the surface- the idea rapidly began growing in popularity, and now almost every school accepted both monsters and humans.

"Yeah, it does sound like a lot of fun," you smiled, "I'm glad you guys had a good time."

You kept making small talk for a little while, until you heard tiny footsteps coming downstairs and a small child appeared at the end of the staircase and came running to hug you.

"Hi, Frisk!" You smiled down at them and returned the embrace. "How are you doing?"

Frisk let go of you and smiled up at you sweetly. Their hands seemed to dance as they told you about their fun adventures at the museum with Toriel and their 3rd grade class. You gently smiled at them, watching their hands intently as they finished telling you about all the coolest exhibitions and stuff.

"Sweet! I would've loved to see that huge T. Rex too," you exclaimed.

They smiled brightly. You should come along with us some other day they signed.

"Oh, I would love to, thank you for the invitation," you smiled and playfully ruffled their soft hair. They grinned and then, taking your hand, they pulled you out of your seat on the couch and took you over to the piano to start the lesson.

"Alright, kids. I'm gonna leave you to do your thing. I'm gonna go upstairs and read meanwhile, if that's alright with you. Call me if you need anything," Toriel said sweetly as she stood up and headed upstairs.

"Sure thing," you replied kindly, and then turned to Frisk. "Kay, kiddo. Now, where is it that we left off last class? Did you practice that last exercise?"

They nodded and showed you, smoothly playing the keys.

"Flawless!" You high-fived them. "Great job, Frisk," you smiled proudly and they smiled back. "Alright, now, using this, you're gonna learn this really cool thing…"

The class went by smoothly, and before you knew it, the whole two hours were over, and Toriel came back downstairs.

"Hey, dearies. How was today's lesson?" She asked, smiling kindly at both of you. Frisk put their two thumbs up and smiled brightly at her. Then they stood up, bringing Toriel closer to the piano. They sat back down with you at the piano and played a small piece for Toriel to hear.

"Oh, that's so lovely, my dear child. You're doing an amazing job," she smiled lovingly at Frisk, and then turned to you. "And you're doing an amazing job at teaching them too, dearie," she smiled sweetly.

"Thank you," you smiled kindly back at her.

"Hey…I was wondering, dear. Would you like to stay and have brunch with us today?" She asked.

"Oh, sure! I'd love to. Thanks Toriel," you smiled at her politely. She was always inviting you to stay and eat. She was like a mom to you. During this whole time you'd been teaching Frisk, you'd grown really attached to this tiny family. Frisk was like a little sibling to you now too. And Toriel basically treated you like her own child.

"Alright, then. You children can go wait at the dining table, I'll just go to the kitchen and bring the pie and the other things," she said, heading off into the kitchen.

"Wait, I can help you with something, if you'd like," you offered, walking over to the kitchen entrance.

"No, it's alright," she said your name, "I got everything covered," she said as she picked up a delicious smelling apple pie along with three plates that were already stacked together beside it.

"Here," you walked up to her and offered to carry the plates anyway.

"Oh, thank you, dear, you're so kind," she smiled softly.

"No problem," you smiled back. Suddenly, Frisk burst into the kitchen and climbed on a chair to reach a high cupboard. Reaching on their tiptoes, they opened it and pulled out two juice boxes. Suddenly, they lost their balance and almost toppled over. Alarmed, you put the plates down on the counter and immediately rushed to their side to prevent them from falling. Frisk giggled as they fell into your ready arms.

"Frisk, you almost gave me a heart attack!" You exclaimed under your breath, your eyes as wide as their smile. You shook your head disapprovingly as you helped them off the chair. Luckily, Toriel hadn't seen the little incident as she was already at the dining table in the other room, or she would have probably freaked out.

Frisk smiled up at you and offered you one of the juice boxes.

"Oh gosh, this was for me? Thank you, Frisk," you smiled kindly back at them, taking the juice box. "Don't do that again, though. You could've gotten hurt," you frowned slightly.

Frisk pouted apologetically.

You chuckled softly, "That's alright, kiddo," you said and playfully ruffled their hair. "C'mon then, your mom's waiting," you grabbed the plates again and headed out the kitchen with Frisk.

Toriel was already sitting at the small dining table, cutting out three slices from the pie. The whole room smelled delicious, making your mouth water. Your stomach grumbled quietly, just enough to remind you that you were so fucking hungry. You hurried to the table and helped Toriel put them on the plates. Then you sat down beside Frisk, sliding their plate to them and grabbing your own.

"Enjoy, my dears. I baked it this very morning before you came," she said your name. "And Frisk also helped me," she said, smiling softly. Frisk grinned proudly and nodded, looking at you.

"Oh, cool! I'm sure it's great. It already smells great so yeah," you smiled and took a bite. Your taste buds celebrated in unison.

"Mmm," you held your thumb up as you chewed, "this is really good, I love it. Thanks Toriel," you said after finishing that bite and smiled at her.

"I'm glad you like it," she smiled back. The three of you ate the pie with great delight and occasional small talk, enjoying it until the very last crumb.

"So, honey, I heard Mettaton was staying at that hotel you play at during weekends," Toriel commented casually. You nearly choked on your drink. Which was the juice box Frisk had so kindly gotten for you.

"Oh. Yeah…I heard that too," you replied as casually as you could manage. Frisk only sighed and shook their head. You looked at them, puzzled. "What's wrong, Frisk?"

_He's a headache_ , they signed, and giggled childishly under their breath. You giggled with them. Toriel didn't seem to agree though.

"Frisk, be nice, my child," She scolded. "He did apologize, after all. And he considers you a hero too, remember?"

Frisk pursed their lips and nodded.

"Wait, Frisk, you actually know him? How come I didn't know?" You asked, raising an eyebrow, a bit confused. Of course you knew who Frisk was and how important this child was to both monsters and humans, as the child ambassador. But they were also so young and playful that sometimes, you almost forgot about the things they went through down there. Some of which you apparently had no clue of yet. They nodded and told you about how they had met the robot diva.

"So you're telling me...that he almost tried to kill you…and now he's like…your friend or something?" Your appalled face went a little pale. They giggled.

_He wasn't gonna actually kill me_ , they snickered, _He acted like he was going to, but he was doing all of that for the ratings of his show_ , they signed and posed dramatically, mocking him. You laughed, and Toriel couldn't help but laugh too.  
Frisk also laughed in return. _Tell him I say hi if you see him, okay?_ they signed. You nodded and smiled softly.

"Sure, I will." _Or not...Hopefully not..._ You thought. You didn't wanna bump into that robot again.

☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆

Later that day, you were lying on your couch, listening to one of your favorite bands. You were trying to relax a bit before heading over to the Moreau, when your phone started ringing. You reached out for it, quickly glancing at the name on the screen and picked up.

"Hey, Caitlyn, how are you?" You asked, but your question went ignored as your friend talked over your soft-spoken words and exclaimed your name excitedly.

"Oh my god, have you heard the news? Guess WHO is staying at the Moreau? For TWO whole weeks! METTATON!" She nearly yelled, making you flinch away from your phone for a second. "The one and only. That gorgeous, metallic beauty, ughhh I can't believe it! Well, him and his band, but oh my god! He's gonna be in the same freaking building as me! This is like, the best thing that's ever happened. Oh my gooood, I can't wait to see him. I'm gonna find out everything. Where his hotel room is, what places he eats at, where his new studio is, where he goes shopping, EVERYTHING. And I'm gonna do my best to arrange something so I get to meet him and when he sees me, he'll just have to stay here forever," she giggled a little maniacally, "Oh my god, this is like, a total dream come true," she sighed dramatically, "aren't you excited, dear?" more maniac giggling.

You hesitated a little before answering, not really knowing how to respond to her fangirling. It had been like this a little less than a year ago too, when One Direction stayed at the hotel for their concert at this city.

"Yeah, I heard he'd be staying there. That's, uh, that's great news," you finally said. You didn't really wanna tell her about your awkward encounter with him the night before. She'd freak out even more if she knew Mettaton had actually been at Black Birds and watched you perform. She would totally loose it. Nope, you weren't telling her.

"Oh my god, I know right?! This is gonna be awesome. You can like, totally come meet him with me too if you want, whenever that happens that is. I would never leave you out of it. Oh gosh, I'm so excited," she squealed.

"I noticed," you chuckled. You weren't exactly a huge fan of her little drama queen moments, but she was kind of adorable nonetheless. "Hey, listen. I'm gonna be heading over to Black Birds in a few minutes and I gotta get ready so, uh, you mind if we talk later?" You asked hesitantly, hoping it wouldn't bother her.

"Oh, sure thing, honey. I'm going out tonight with some of my girlfriends, and they'll be here to pick me up in a few. I was actually kind of hoping you could maybe join us after your gig?" She asked sweetly.

Caitlyn Moreau, daughter of Richard K. Moreau -the owner of the 5 star hotel- and heiress of his fortune, was, despite her slight egocentrism, one of the nicest people you knew. She could be so dramatic and even downright selfish sometimes, but she was also really kind and considerate with you. She had done so many over-the-top nice things for you, one of them was getting you hired to play weekly gigs at that bar & cafe at the hotel when you were running low in money. You'd met her in college, at that one party you went to one time. You were sitting alone in a corner, looking a little miserable because the friend you had gone to the party with had bailed on you and had left with another group of guys to another party. Caitlyn saw you and invited you to stay with her and her friends for the rest of the party. From then on, you became great friends.

"I uh…I'm sorry, Lyn, I'd love to but, it's been a really long day, and I really don't think that's a good idea..." You shut your eyes tightly, expecting her to get angry. She hated no for an answer.

"Oh...that's. That's alright, I guess," she sounded disappointed, but at least she didn't explode. "I just wanted to hang out, but that's alright. You can just be boring and go to sleep like at 9pm if you want," she snickered. You rolled your eyes.

"S-sorry Caitlyn. I've had a lot of work recently. I have to stay till very late at your hotel, remember? I've barely slept and I've been exhausted. Next time I'll try to make it, okay?" You said a bit nervously.

"Alright, fine. But you have to promise me we'll hang out soon."

"Yeah, I promise," you sighed.

"Great! Okay, I gotta go now, dear, talk to you later, bye," she sang sweetly and hung up.

You then yawned, stretched, and stood up, heading over to your closet to look for an outfit to change into for tonight.

☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆

You sang the last few words of the first song as you strum the last chord, and everyone in the audience cheered.

"Thank you so much," you spoke shyly into the microphone and smiled brightly at them.

You didn't exactly have the highest self-esteem, so when people cheered for you and truly enjoyed your music, it made you feel alive and it made you forget about your pain and sorrow, if only for a short while. You could only hope you did the same for them. There was something about putting smiles on people's sweet faces and bringing them together with music…

"This next one is called-" you suddenly gasped as you watched a tall figure burst through the doors of the cafe and sit at the exact same table at the very back of the room as last time. You quickly snapped back into stage mode and finished your sentence, saying the name of the song.

You started the song by playing a few chords in arpeggio, looking down at the guitar as you played, scared to look at him again. Then, having no option but to look up, you sang into the microphone. Feeling that hot pink, glowing iris burning into you, you fought the urge to look in his direction, so you looked down at the tables that were closest to you instead. You suddenly felt like you were missing every beat and like your voice sounded shaky and you were sure you had played the wrong chord a few times now. Everything was a disaster in your head. Your hands were getting clammy and a bit shaky, and you thought your voice was wavering slightly. Your stomach was a knot. _This has been the worst I've ever done since I was 14,_ you thought.

Despite all your "mistakes" and the huge wrack of nerves, the audience erupted in applause again. They didn't seem to notice. You sighed in relief, thanked them again, and continued with the show for the rest of the night, not once bothering to look in his direction. If you did, you might've lost your cool again. You just couldn't see why a superstar like him would want to come and torture himself at this place and watch such a poor performance. Your singing wasn't that bad, but you were nowhere near as good as…well…him? And even though you didn't really like his music all that much, his mere presence here was making you very anxious. It wasn't everyday that a superstar walked in and watched you perform after all. What if he thought you weren't good enough? What if he was laughing his ass off right at this moment, laughing at you for thinking you could sing?

All this while though, Mettaton had been intently watching you, with a huge smile spread across his face and stars in his eyes.

"Alright, that's all for tonight. Thank you all so much. Please enjoy safely for the rest of your night. Goodnight everyone!" You smiled brightly at them and got everything ready to leave. It had felt like the longest show in quite a while, but it was finally over. Cold sweat was still dripping down your back and chest. As you were about to exit the cafe, you looked up and were surprised to see the glambot himself, blocking your way, leaning against the door…seductively…  
You stopped in your tracks, not knowing what to do. He stared back down at you with that smirk on his face.

"Um…" you managed.

"That was a great performance, darling," he snickered. You blushed as you glanced around quickly and shyly looked back up at him. He…he was actually talking to you? You? Was he just making fun of you?

"Uh…th-thank you. I guess," you said in a barely audible voice and rubbed the back of your neck nervously. He laughed softly. You blushed deeper. He was making fun of you, wasn't he? He actually thought that was the most terrible thing he had ever watched in his whole life, wasn't it? Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh you wanted to run away and hide forever. Or scream. This was so humiliating. But you just stood there. And he just stood there. Looking down. At you. And your red face. While a lump formed in your throat. And a smirk formed on his face. Finally, after eternal seconds, he spoke again.

"Well...I'll see you around, darling," he winked and finally moved out of your way.

"Uh…k-kay…" you managed to mutter and rapidly made your way out of the cafe, not once slowing down your pace until you got to your car in the parking lot and broke down as you let your anxiety and stream of unhelpful thoughts get the best of you. _What a prick...Why does he have to do this...He was laughing right in my face...Why do I have to humiliate myself this way..._ You felt your chest and throat tighten, your breathing become difficult, and your whole body was shaking. _Whatever made me think I could ever be an artist?_ you thought, as angry tears streamed down your face, and you curled up into a ball on the driver's seat.

☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆

Mettaton kept showing up. He was there the next day too, Sunday. It was now Friday of the following week when you walked into the bar & cafe, hoping and praying to whatever gods or whatever other supernatural beings might exist that he wouldn't come back this time. But he was already there in that exact same spot, casually sipping from his drink. You quickly glanced at him as you got everything ready to play and remembered your previous anxiety attack that his pretentious presence had triggered. A cold chill ran down your spine. Why did he have this effect on you? Yeah, he was famous, but so what? You were trying your darn best while also dealing with horrible mental illnesses. Why did he keep coming back? Was it just to torture you? Were you so bad at performing that he found it amusing? Didn't he have anything better to do than to sit around and laugh at some amateur artist? Your mind flooded with these thoughts as you walked up the stage and tried to take your mind away from it.

The rest of the night didn't go too well. Or maybe it did, judging by the audience's happiness, but you felt you were doing horribly and had no clue how to regain control over your nerves. Finally, you finished the last song and thanked your audience one last time. As you were heading out, you saw Mettaton stand up and approach you from the corner of your eye. Alarmed, you quickened your pace, but he quickly caught up to you and stood in front of you.

"Hey, darling," he flashed a dazzling smile. "Can I ask you something?"

"I-I'm sorry, I gotta go," you mumbled nervously and walked passed him, walking as quick as possible. He turned on his heel and followed you, not taking long to catch up.

"Oh, darling. I know I'm beyond gorgeous and that you might be a bit starstruck to see me here, but I assure you. You have nothing to be nervous about. I just wanted to talk to you about something," he smiled down at you as he walked beside you.

"I-I'm sorry. I just r-really have to leave right now. I have t-to do something important," you lied, "Bye…" you stuttered and walked faster, leaving him behind. You didn't notice, as you were too busy running away, but when he stopped on his tracks when you left, he just stood there. Watching you with those same stars in his eyes as before, smiling to himself, seemingly lost in space.

There was absolutely no chance that he was about to let this go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read my thing :) I hope you liked it! 
> 
> If you ever wanna reach out to me, to talk about the fic, or send me stuff or whatever, you can find me here:
> 
> Tumblr: xanderbot13.tumblr.com  
> Twitter: @xanderbot13  
> Instagram: xanderbot13  
> Email: xanderbot13@gmail.com
> 
> Have a great day <3


	4. Two Worlds Collide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: self deprecating thoughts (if you need me to add any other warnings please let me know)

*Suggested Listening: Blank Space - Taylor Swift*

Saturday.

Was he gonna be there again?

Your heart raced as you approached Black Birds. Reaching the stage area, you looked around cautiously, and sighed in relief. No sign of the glambot. You went on to get ready, and began playing, this time more relaxed. Way more relaxed than these past few days. Without that subconscious pressure of getting judged or mocked by some diva, you set yourself loose and got lost in the music, enjoying yourself and the audience's applause again. You didn't even realize when Mettaton hurriedly came through the doors and sat at his usual spot, eager to watch you perform. You just went on with the show, putting all your energy into every song and captivating everyone in the room. You let yourself go, your feelings in sync with the music. You even got so emotional during one of your sad songs, that you let a few tears escape the edge of your eyes, making some of the audience members cry alongside with you. Today was probably one of your best performances yet. The moment went by so fast though, as it always does when you're having fun, and very soon, you had reached the end of your last song of the night. Every single person and monster in the audience was ecstatic. Everyone applauded and cheered loudly, some of them with a little too much passion due to having had a little too much to drink. You smiled brightly at them and blushed deeply.

"Thank you all so much," you spoke shyly into the mic, smiling brightly and blushing deeply as the audience kept clapping. "It has been a great pleasure to entertain you all tonight with my music. I hope I was able to make you smile and forget about your troubles, at least during this short while. Life is so tough sometimes. You all deserve that happiness. Thank you all so much. You're a lovely, wonderful audience. Goodnight everybody," you said sweetly and blew a kiss to the audience. You didn't notice, as unplugged your guitar and prepared everything to leave, but Mettaton watched your every move from the back of the room, and pretended to catch your kiss.

You were already by the exit of the cafe, walking calmly towards the hall, when suddenly you tripped over the lace of your shoe. Loosing your balance, you crashed onto the floor, along with all your stuff. Unfortunately, you landed right on your elbow and hit your funny bone. You cursed kind of loudly as the pain shot through your whole arm and rang in your head. You only managed to sit up and rub your hurt elbow with a pained expression on your face. Of course this would happen to you. You were too busy being in pain to hear the sound of heels clicking, getting closer to you.

"Hey, darling, are you alright?" You heard a deep, robotic voice ask. You froze for a second and gasped as you looked up with wide eyes at the tall, curvy figure towering over you. He was extending his hand. Your face went red. He had been here all this time? And now he watched you fall on your face? What a day.

"I-I'm fine. Thanks," you muttered, shyly taking his hand as he helped you up.

"That was...that was quite powerful. Your performance, I mean. It was really something," he said with full sincerity in his voice and flashed a disarming smile. You couldn't help but blush deeper. Your hands went cold. Did...did he actually mean that? Or was he just being a sarcastic asshole?

"Uh, th-thank you," you stammered. He chuckled softly. Already blushing quite deeply, you didn't want him to notice as more heat rose to your cheeks, so you bent down to pick up your bag and your guitar case.

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me help you with that, darling," he bent down to pick up your things at the same time you did, and as you both reached for your guitar case, you accidentally brushed your fingers with his. You quickly removed your hand and reached to pick up your bag instead, letting him take the guitar. You couldn't really tell, but you were sure your face was tomato red right now. After tying your shoe lace real quick, you stood up straight again, and he extended his unoccupied hand for you to give him your bag.

"Here, I'll carry that for you," he offered.

"N-no, it's fine, I-I can carry my stuff," you stammered, but he gently took your bag from your hand anyway.

"It's just for right now, honey," he said, putting one of the straps over his shoulder.

"Alright...Thanks," you muttered, too flustered to complain.

"No problem, uh...I'm sorry, I didn't ask you before. What's your name, darling?" He asked. You told him your name, offering a small smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said your name, offering a hand and flashing a movie-star charming smile. A knot formed in your stomach. You started feeling awful for having mis-judged him. _I'm such a prick, I'm such a prick, I'm suck a prick, I was the prejudging prick all along..._ you thought, mentally kicking yourself. He was being so…sweet...? Why...?

"Nice to meet you too, uh, Mettaton," you mumbled, shaking his hand timidly. He smiled softly with a glimmer in his eye. You nervously let go of his hand and looked away. He chuckled slightly.

"I take it you're not a big fan?" He asked jokingly.

"Uh, um, I guess not, sorry...I-I don't really listen to y-your music that much or anything," you stammered, feeling awkward, and rubbing the back of your neck nervously. He just chuckled softly.

"That's alright, darling. It's never too late to join my fandom," he smirked playfully. You blushed harder. He chuckled softly again, but quickly regained composure. "Alright, darling, listen. The reason I've been pestering you is because I want to talk with you about something I think you would really like, since I didn't the chance yesterday," he said. Oh, right, when you ran away like a coward...

"Oh...about what?" You asked, raising your eyebrow curiously. He grinned.

"How about we discuss this over a drink, darling? It's on me," he flashed another disarming smile. His voice was all mellow. His eyes were glowing bright with tiny sparkly stars all over his pink iris.

How could you say no?

"Um…sure," you muttered, blushing hard.

"Great! Come with me then, I know a great place near the hotel. I'll call my chauffeur," he smiled, walking towards the hall leading to the main lobby.

"W-wait, I thought you meant here, at Black Birds?" You asked, puzzled.

"Oh, no. There are plenty of better places, darling. No offense, but Black Birds doesn't even make the top list," he said.

"W…why do you keep coming back, then?" You asked curiously.

"A fantastic artist needs a fantastic audience, beautiful," he said, smiling down at you and winking. You felt heat rise to your cheeks again.

"Y..you mean I..?-" you were about to ask, but he cut you off.

"I do," he said, smiling brighter, knowing what you were about to ask.

So you were the reason he kept coming back?? He actually liked your music? He actually liked your mediocre maybe-not-so-mediocre-after-all singing voice? W...why though? You didn't really think of yourself as a talented artist. You suddenly felt like stabbing yourself for having misjudged the whole situation so bad and for having taken it so personally and having been so anxious about it that you actually had had a panic attack. You bit down on your lip nervously, looking away from him, violently blushing. He just laughed softly and continued walking with you as he dialed his chauffeur's number and asked him to pick you and him up immediately. You mentally kicked yourself all the way to the lobby.

After waiting outside of the lobby for a moment, you watched as a large sedan appeared in front of your eyes. Your eyes widened a bit. Mettaton snickered, watching your reaction.

"C'mon now, darling, let's go inside," he said as his chauffeur opened the door to the backseat for both of you. You timidly slid into the luxurious backseat of the car, followed by Mettaton. Once already in and having put your seatbelt on, the chauffeur drove away. You hadn't even noticed or bothered to ask where you were going, but after a few blocks, the car suddenly came to a halt and you were there. Thankfully, the car ride wasn't too long, so the awkward silence didn't last very long.

"Alright, darling. We're here," Mettaton smiled as he stepped out of the car, still carrying your stuff. You followed him. "Thank you, Maurice, darling. I'll call you in about an hour or two," Mettaton told his chauffeur and closed the door, letting him drive away. You looked up and immediately recognized the luxurious bar. The Bittersweet End. A soft smile spread on your face. It was one of the best V.I.P. Bars around town.

"Hey, I've been here a few times," You smiled softly, looking up the large sign. "One of my friends comes here often," you mentioned. You had come here with Caitlyn and her friends a couple times. Her dad was actually good friends with the owner. You had also played there a couple weekends, and in exchange you got free drinks you could've probably never afforded, besides your payment. You had had a lot of fun those few times.

"Oh? And here I thought I would surprise you, but it seems you're the one who keeps surprising me," he laughed slightly as he walked up the few stairs that lead to the entrance and held the door open for you. You blushed as you shyly stepped inside. One of your favorite songs was playing when you walked in. The air was warm and cozy inside, as opposed to the crisp, cold air outside. You relaxed a bit. But as soon as Mettaton walked in, a few people turned to look and whisper and anxiously mutter among themselves, all eyes on him and you. You unrelaxed...

Mettaton simply ignored all the stares and muttering going around and led you to the far left side of the room to sit at a small leather couch with just enough space for two people. The couch was in front of a small coffee table, with another unoccupied couch on the other side. The whole place was dimly lit with exotic lamps and adorned with expensive-looking things. Even the carpet looked like it was made of some expensive as fuck material. The place was huge for a bar, but cozy nonetheless. The bar was one of those square-shaped ones in the middle of the room, where a few bartenders were busily attending customers. There was a pool table at the other side of the room, and a small stage at the back, a few feet from where you were sitting. Mettaton placed your things on the couch at the other side and sat beside you. In less than an instant, a bartender was at your side. You ordered a simple cocktail, while Mettaton ordered one of his own MTT-brand Pink Sapphire Martinis. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes.

"So, darling, since you probably already know all about me, why don't you tell me about yourself," Mettaton said after the bartender left. He smiled down at you, leaning back on the soft couch and crossing his legs. You blushed and shifted nervously, facing in his direction but avoiding any eye contact.

"I um...w-well..." You rubbed the back of your neck nervously, struggling with words. "I don't really know much about you either, if I'm honest," you confessed.

"You...you don't?" He asked with a deeply confused expression. "But...everyone know about me. How can you not know about me?"

"Well, I do know who you are, and what you do, but I don't really know much besides that," you explained.

"How can that be?" He asked, still confused about this totally bizarre situation.

"I'm not one to stalk artists in every social media or keep up with gossip or whatever," you shrugged, "I like to do more productive things with my time," you said, half-jokingly. It was actually true, but you didn't want to offend him or anything.

"Oh...okay..." He looked away for a second, probably questioning life. "Don't worry. I'll make sure you know everything about me in no time," he said smirking, looking back at you. "But for now, I'd like to know about you first," he grinned.

"Uh...okay, uh...w-what would you like to know?" You stammered.

"Anything, darling," he sat up straight again, leaning slightly closer to you to listen better. You felt the heat slowly creeping up to your face again.

"W-well, I uh...As you already know, I'm an artist...s-sort of. I guess," you stammered and bit your lip, not knowing what else to talk about. "N-not like you, of course. Nobody really knows me. I mean, I have a very small following, if I'm honest. I'm just a really unpopular singer/songwriter," you sighed.

"That's alright. You always start small. Even I did," he smirked. "So anyway, I know you play at that bar & cafe. But do you do anything else?" He asked.

"Yeah, I play gigs here and there," you nodded. "Mostly like at bars, and cafes, and clubs, and well, at Black Birds every weekend because uh, my friend is sort of the hotel's owner's daughter, so she was nice enough to get me to play there so I wouldn't starve," you chuckled slightly. "And uh...I'm also a music teacher. Sort of. I go and teach kids at their houses in the afternoon during weekdays, and Saturday mornings," you muttered, not knowing what else to say to fill the silence. "I also used to work at Starbucks, but then I started getting hired as a teacher, and now that's like my 'day job' or whatever..." You mentioned and nervously fidgeted with a button on your jacket. You weren't exactly the most outgoing person ever.

"That sounds great! Sounds like you're chasing a dream, huh?" He raised a curious metallic eyebrow.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," you muttered shyly and nodded.

He smiled. "So, how long have you been playing?" He asked curiously.

"Um, like my instruments, or like, gigs and stuff?"

"Both," he said simply.

"Well uh, I started learning piano when I was 16, and I taught myself guitar with youtube tutorials when I was 14," you replied. "And, well...I started playing in different places here and there when I started college...but, I kinda had to stop for about a year because of, um...personal reasons," you paused, not wanting to go into detail with that and really hoping he wouldn't ask, "but after that, I continued and, well, that's basically all I've been doing for about a year and a half now," you smiled softly.

"That's wonderful! You're a rising star!" He exclaimed, grinning brightly. You blinked a few times, embarrassed by the compliment.

"I..wouldn't really say that..." You looked down at the button between your fingers.

"But of course you are! It's like I told you, darling. We all start small," he smiled. "Even I did. Twice, actually, since I had to basically start all over again here on the surface. But it wasn't too long before humans recognized the abundance of talent and glamour in me, and I became the idol all humans crave," he smirked.

You chuckled slightly, looking at that smug smirk plastered on his perfectly crafted face. His overconfidence killed you.

"I do mean it, though, darling," he said, going back to what he had said about you. "You're a magnificent artist. You really did impress me that first night I saw you," he smiled as he shifted his body sideways to face you. You tried to casually edge away from him a few inches, getting too flustered at the short distance between you. "I'm lucky to have come across that cafe on my way to my room. I heard the music from the outside and just had go in and listen," he smiled again.

You were thankful for the dimness of the place, because that way he wouldn't see how hard you were blushing right now. All you could manage to do was smile timidly and nervously tuck a strand of hair behind your ear while looking down at your lap. You were at a loss for words again. Luckily, the bartender promptly arrived with your drinks at that exact moment, saving you from another awkward silence.

"Thank you," you said to him as he placed your drinks in front of you and left. You reached for your glass and took a sip. It tasted better than it looked in the picture to your surprise. Mettaton took his glittery MTT-brand drink and did the same.

"How's you're drink?" He asked.

"It's really good, thanks," you smiled slightly. "How's yours?"

"It's exquisite, as always," he smirked.

You suddenly thought about something.

"Um...Mettaton? H-how is it that you can drink stuff? I-I mean, won't it damage your circuits and stuff?" You wondered.

"Oh, no, not at all, darling," he said as he took another sip and placed his drink on the table. "Dr. Alphys, my scientist friend who built this body for me, programmed me with amazing capabilities that allow me to do a few things people with organic bodies can do, like eat and drink. I just process it differently, due to the magic part," he explained.

"Huh, cool," you raised your eyebrows slightly and took another sip from your cocktail.

"Yeah," he smirked. "So, darling, keep telling me more about you," he looked at you with great interest. His one visible eye glowed brightly.

"Uh...um..." You fidgeted with that button on your jacket again. "There isn't a lot to talk about really. My life isn't too interesting," you replied.

"Oh, dear, you would get along so well with my cousin, Blooky," he laughed slightly. "They seem to have that very same thought about themselves, even now that they're a star," he shook his head, looked down briefly and simulated a sigh, "what am I gonna do about you?" He said in a low voice, and you weren't sure if he was talking about you or his cousin. He looked back up and smiled softly at you. "I'm sure your life is a lot more interesting than you claim it is, darling," he gave you a playful side-glance. It stung your eyes, sending shivers down your spine.

You bit your lip nervously and kept fidgeting with the stupid button. _No it isn't_ , you thought.

"I uh, I guess I just don't really do a lot other than what I already told you," you confessed.

"But I'm sure there must be more to you, dear. Someone with an uninteresting life would definitely not be able to write all those powerful lyrics and then have the courage to sing them with such passion," he pointed out.

Truthfully, he was very good at flattery. Too good. You were melting inside. Something about his mellow voice, combined with his sugary words...But truth was you didn't really want to talk about yourself more. You had had a very rough past, and you would rather not have to reveal any of it. So you just nodded and looked down again.

"Yeah, I guess so," you sighed with a slightly sorrowful air and took another sip from your drink.

"It's alright, darling. We can get to know each other later," he briefly took a sip from his drink too. "But now, I think it's an appropriate time for me to drop the big news," he flashed a brighter-than-light smile.

You looked up at him with a raised curious eyebrow, having no clue of what was coming. He hesitated for a moment to create anticipation.

"I want to know if you'd like to sign a record deal with my label, MTT Records."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and for your sweet comments. You have no idea how much it means to me <3 They are really motivational
> 
> If you ever wanna reach out to me, send me stuff, talk about the fic, stop by to say hi, you know were to find me :)
> 
> xanderbot.tumblr.com  
> Twitter: @xanderbot13  
> Email: xanderbot13@gmail.com
> 
> Have a great day!


	5. Red

_*Suggested Listening*_  
_Beautiful Stranger - Madonna_  
_First Time - Lifehouse_

You gasped and froze completely. Your eyes widened. Your hands turned ice-cold. For a whole 30 seconds, you couldn't even speak. Mettaton looked at you expectantly with a raised eyebrow.

"So, what do you say, darling?" He smiled, amused by your reaction.

You finally regained your voice.

"You-you're not just kidding?" You stammered, raising an eyebrow, still shocked.

"Why would I joke about that, honey? This is serious business," he chuckled lightly.

"I..." You looked away briefly, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, "Are you sure about this?" You asked in disbelief, looking up at him again.

"Of course, darling, that's why I brought you here," he smirked. "So. Should I assume this is a yes? Or..."

"Y-yes! Of course! Yes," you finally replied excitedly. "Yeah, it would be. Amazing. I think.." you muttered with extreme excitement in your voice.

"Great!" Mettaton smiled brightly. "Then you'll come with me Monday morning so we can meet with my team and discuss about signing you, then you can take a look at the contract, and we'll get you signed if you choose to," he said, smiling down at you.

"S-sure," you smiled excitdly.

He pulled out his phone from one of the pockets on his bright pink coat. "I will need your phone number, if you don't mind," he said as he opened up the dial pad.

"Uh, yeah, that's fine," you said and gave him your phone number.

"Thanks, darling," he said. "Here, I'll just leave a call on yours, so you'll have mine," he said as he quickly called and hung up on your number.

"Okay, thanks," you said in a slightly shaky voice. You casually screamed in your head. This was all too much to take in.

"Alright, then. I'll call you on Sunday and give you the address of my studio," he said, putting away his phone and looking over at you again, "now, I'm just curious. If your performances are so captivating, how is it that you're not world wide famous yet, my dear?" He smirked.

You laughed slightly and blushed deeply again. There he goes with the flattery.

"W-well, it's just not that easy," you rubbed the back of your neck idly. "I barely just started to be honest, like I literally just went from singing at open mic nights to actually getting hired to play at bars and stuff. And I don't really have any fans or anything. I mean, there's only a few who people follow my social media accounts who've like sort of heard of me, but besides that," you shrugged and paused for a second. "I'm also...quite shy and reserved for an artist," you confessed in a small voice, looking down at your lap.

Suddenly, you felt as he placed a gloved white finger under your chin and gently brought your gaze back up so you would look at him. Heat shot through your whole face as you looked into his eyes. Or, his one visible eye anyway. He was only inches away. A single bead of cold sweat rolled down your back.

"That doesn't matter, gorgeous," he smirked, "what really matters is the quality of your performance and how you captivate people. And let me tell you, you are doing everything right," he smiled brightly. "That's why I believe in your potential," he winked, removing his finger from where it rested on your chin.

You shivered slightly, feeling as more heat creep up to your face. "Th-thanks," you muttered, nervously looking down at the button on your jacket again.

He laughed softly. "You're such a cutie," he said in a gentle tone, and you could just hear that smirk in his voice. You blushed deeper as your gaze shot up to look at him again.

"W..what?" You muttered, taken aback by the compliment.

"You heard me," he smirked, reaching for his sparkly drink and taking a sip. "You haven't stopped blushing since we came here and it's adorable, honestly," he said, taking another sip.

"H-how do you..?" You asked in disbelief, blushing so hard you swore your face was glowing.

"My senses are a lot keener than a human's, darling. I can simply perceive things like that," he replied casually, his smirk never going away.

"Huh…nice," you nodded slowly, too flustered to come up with a proper reply. You nervously reached for your drink, taking two good swigs from it.

There was a short silence. You idly stared down at your drink, holding it between your hands on your lap. Your mind was running wild, spinning around in every possible direction. Suddenly, Mettaton called your name, breaking the silence once again. You looked up.

"Is everything alright?" He asked in a gentle voice.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. I just kinda drifted off for a second," you replied and bit your lip softly. "It's just, you know, it's a lot to take in," you sighed.

"My presence?" he smirked.

"The record deal," you said dryly.

"Don't worry," he smiled softly. "Just take things one step at a time. And don't doubt yourself. You have great potential, and I want you to exploit that. But one step at a time, darling. You'll be fine," he grinned brighter and took another sip from his drink.

"Thank you," you smiled gently. You suddenly felt all warm inside and, for a split second, you kinda felt the urge to hug him. But of course you didn't, that would've been a little weird, you thought. So you just took a sip from your drink, in an attempt to hide your blush.

He snuck a side-glance at you. "You know, truth is, I don't really get to interact with humans as often as I'd like," he confessed. "A lot of my fans are humans, but the interaction is pretty minimal. Most of it just happens through social media and very brief meet & greets after concerts. I am acquainted with many human celebrities, of course, but it none of those interactions have gone beyond a short rendezvous," he chuckled slyly.

"So I've heard," you muttered under your breath.

He chuckled softly again. "Well, anyway, I have never worked with a human before either, if I'm honest. So, I do admit this is pretty exciting for me too. Having you on my own label and working with you would be great," he smiled.

"Thanks," you smiled back, starting to feel at least a little bit more at ease around him. You took another sip from your drink as well as him. You were nearly done with yours, while his was still half full.

"Would you like another drink, darling?" He asked.

"Oh, uh, no I'm fine, thanks."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Umm.." You actually did want another one. That shit was delicious, and c'mon, it's not every day that you can go to a bar like this. "Well, if...if it's not much of a problem," you muttered shyly.

"Not at all, dear," he smiled and called one of the bartenders to ask for your drink.

"Alright sir, in a minute," he said as he walked off.

"Thank you," you muttered in a soft voice.

"No problem," he smiled softly.

You finished the last bit of your drink and put the glass on the coffee table in front of you. Mettaton put his legs up on the table and reclined back on the couch with his hands on the back of his head. You looked back at him and decided to recline back on the couch too, but without putting your feet up. Your curious eyes darted around the room, studying your surroundings carefully, your mind wandering. You sunk into your thoughts. Mettaton EX had just offered you a record deal and you didn't know how to feel. You never imagined that this would be possible. You never thought you'd catch the attention of someone as important in the music industry as him. You had dreamed about it for such a long, long time, but never thought it would actually happen. You hoped you weren't just dreaming. You'd had a few pleasant dreams before, but none like this. Only in dreams could this be possible though, so if you were, you wished you would never wake up.

"What's your biggest dream?" He asked suddenly -as if he'd read your mind- breaking your reverie.

You thought for a second, bitting your lip softly. "Make people happy. With music. Let them know they're not alone in their struggles, and hopefully help them out of them," you mumbled in a gentle tone.

"That's a wonderful dream, darling," his lips formed a crooked grin. "You remind me of me, before I massively screwed up a lot of things, that is," he chuckled lightly, but then a sorrowful sigh escaped his lips.

You bit your lip and hesitated for a second before building the courage to ask.  
"What do you mean?"

He was silent for a little moment. "I had the same dream as you. I wanted to make monsters happy. Make them forget about our miserable conditions down there. Give the underground that sparkle and hope. Distract them from the bad things, you know?" He smiled softly, looking ahead of him. "And once I became famous in the underground, I was so very happy. But my sins crawled into the back of my mind every night after all the lights were off. Sometimes you have to make great sacrifices to get where you want. But breaking their hearts...that was never my plan," he chuckled softly, but then another sigh escaped his lips and you watched as his expression slowly went from bright to dull, like a sudden shift from a golden sunset to a bleak dusk.

Your heart broke a little. You had no idea what was going on or why he suddenly seemed so sad or what the heck had happened to him or what he might've done, all you knew was that you suddenly felt your stomach drop and you felt the urge to hug him again, for a different reason now. To try to comfort him. But you didn't. You just sat there, looking at him with a worried expression and your teeth sinking into your lower lip.

"What happened?" You asked shyly.

A slight chuckle escaped his lips. "That's a story for another time, darling," he said, his smirk coming back as he turned to look at you. "Right now, let's just enjoy our time here, shall we?"

"O-kay...if you say so," you smiled softly.

"Sir, here's your drink," the bartender said, suddenly arriving with your cocktail.

"Oh, it's actually for my friend," he said your name, motioning to you.

"Alright. Here's your drink," he said with a polite smile as he handed you the drink.

"Thank you," you smiled politely.

"My pleasure," he said as he turned around and left.

"And thank you," you muttered and smiled at Mettaton.

"No problem darling," he said with a smile on his face.

You took a few sips from your drink and leaned back down on the couch. Mettaton did the same. Afterwards you just had a bit of small talk while you had a few more drinks. You didn't talk much, but luckily, he could go on and on forever and never get tired. It didn't really bother you, since you were a bit shy and a bit reluctant to talk about yourself. He told you all about his shows, his fans, his bandmates Blooky and Shyren, the places he'd gone to in his most recent world tour, his simultaneous despise and admiration for the human world, how much he had loved his recent trip to Disney, and Nutella. Apparently he had recently discovered Nutella and he was obsessed with it now.

"Oh my god, I-I swear it's one of the most delicious things I have e-ever tasted. Have you tried it? It's am-amazing," his voice glitched a bit as he gushed. You chuckled. He had only had about 4 drinks by now, but he seemed a little...tipsy?

"Yeah, I always get some," you replied.

"It's incredible. I would e-eat it all day," he laughed softly and took a sip from his drink.

"Yeah," you sighed softly and looked around the room aimlessly. You felt like your head was swimming a bit. A soft yawn escaped from your lips.

"Darling?" He asked, getting your attention.

"Yeah?" You looked up at him again.

"Are you getting tired?"

"No, no, I'm fine."

"I c-could call my chauffeur and take you home, if you'd like," he offered. "I should pro-probably head back too, anyway. I'm low on battery, and if I'm honest, I think I've had a bit too much to drink," he chuckled. You stiffened a laugh.

"Uh, um...I actually left my car at the hotel..." You mumbled.

He looked at you closely for a moment and smirked. "I d-don't think you should be dri-driving right now, sweetheart," he giggled a bit.

You furrowed your brow. "I'm fine, and I can drive perfectly well," you said defensively.

"D-Darling, I just want to prevent you from having an accident. Humans ca-can be so easily damaged," he objected.

"I'm fine, I promise," you lied. Your head was slowly spinning. You'd had a bit too much to drink too.

He shook his head in amusement. "I'll call Maurice a-and tell him to come in a bit," He said as he pulled out his phone to make the call. Once he was done he turned to you again. "Alright, he'll be here in about half an hour. Meanwhile, how about we play pool for a bit?" He said, motioning towards the pool table at the other side of the room with his thumb. "I mean, if you'd like to," he smiled.

"Uh, sure," you nodded.

"Let's go then," he stood up and made his way to the other side of the room. You followed him, trying to seem nonchalant towards the few pairs of eyes watching your every move.

The place wasn't awfully full, and most people were just minding their own business, but those few that stared were digging holes in the back of your head. You bit your lip and lowered your head, trying to disappear a little. Mettaton stopped abruptly as he reached the unoccupied pool table and turned on his heel.

"Alright, darling, let's get started," he exclaimed.

"Okay," you offered a small smile.

For the next twenty-five minutes, Mettaton showed off his "great skills" at the game while also striking all kinds of poses with, beside, or on top of the pool table and bragging about his everything. You were trying to not laugh too much, but at this point your stomach was hurting from trying to hold in so much laughter. You were also totally kicking his ass, but obviously, he acted like he was letting you. You were both having fun anyway. At least you were, until that exact moment. When she arrived.

You were in the midst of hitting the cue ball, when all of a sudden, like in slow motion, everything in your surroundings seemed to turn red. From the red ball the cue ball crashed against, to the red-haired beauty strutting into the bar like she owned the place, to the way her eyes shifted from a light brown, to a full blasted, fury-filled scarlet hue as they locked with yours, to the way her full, red lips curled into a deceiving and blindingly bright smile as she approached you, to the color of the pulsating blood rushing wildly through your veins.

She called your name in a surprised tone.

"Oh my gosh, dear! what are you doing here??" She exclaimed while briefly glancing up at Mettaton, then back at you. You could see that her smile wasn't genuine though. Her eyes were red with fury. And you knew why.

"Oh...hi...Caitlyn..." You bit down hard on your lower lip.

Boy, were you in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read this everyone :)
> 
> tell me what you think so far!
> 
> and if you ever wanna talk to me, tell me how lovely I am, or send me stuff, or just stalk me cuz you're a creep, you know where to find me:
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> 
> have a super awesome fabulous dayyyy


	6. Something Else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I'm back...I think. I hope I won't disappoint anybody now...I'm sorry this one is so short, but the next chapters are a bit longer. I hope you enjoy~

"What a surprise it is to see you around here, you don't come here too often," Caitlyn laughed dryly, forcing a smile. "It's good to see you though," she said between her teeth.

"I-it's good to see you t-"

"And oh, my..." She cut you off, glancing up at Mettaton, who's slightly puzzled expression immediately switched to a charming one out of habit. "I didn't know you were acquainted with everyone's favorite robot," she said, slowly running her eyes up and down his body with a seductive smirk on her angelic face.

"Oh, you're a fan, darling? I'm guessing you're also," he said your name, briefly glancing down at you, " 's friend?" He smiled charmingly at her.

"Yes, my name's Caitlyn," she smiled brightly and flipped her hair back, "Moreau. My dad is the owner of the Moreau Hotel. You've probably heard of it," she glanced up at him with a playful smile.

"Of course I have, darling, that's actually where I'm staying...such a lovely place!" he said. "It is a great pleasure to meet you, Ms. Moreau," he smirked, taking her delicate hand gently and placing a soft kiss on the back of her palm like a real gentleman. She bit her lip excitedly.

"The pleasure's all mine, Mettaton," she gushed, "And might I add, you look even better in real life than I'd imagined...I'm a huge fan of yours," she said in response to his inquisitive look. His smug smile persisted, enjoying the attention. You would've rolled your eyes had you not been in this exact awkward situation.

"Yes, well, I get that a lot...NOT that a I disagree though," he said rather cockily, "Although, I must admit that you yourself are absolutely gorgeous!" he flashed an award-winning smile.

"Oh gosh, thank you," she gushed, smiling brightly. She briefly looked back at you for a second. "So, um, I hope I'm not interrupting something?" She raised a thin eyebrow, innocently looking back up at him.

"Not at all, darling. We were just enjoying a game of pool while we wait for my chauffeur to come pick us up."

"Oh, you're leaving so soon?" She pouted slightly.

"Yes, unfortunately, my battery is running low," he replied. "But I think we still have a bit of time before he comes, so don't worry, darling. You can keep admiring me for a few more minutes," he said in a teasing tone, leaning against the pool table seductively.

"Excuse me?" Caitlyn scoffed jokingly as she quirked an eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip.

Mettaton laughed slightly. "C'mon, darling. Don't act like you're not enjoying the view," he said, raising his thigh and extending his whole leg up in the air effortlessly in a dramatic pose. You blushed, nervously trying to avoid looking at 'the view'.

"Well," she sighed, quite enjoying the view, indeed. "You've got nice legs, I'll give you that," she raised her eyebrow highly in amusement. "Can I touch them though?" She smirked boldly. You cringed internally.

He gasped. "Well, of course, darling. They're not just for show," he winked and in a split second, he spun around on his heel gracefully and swiftly slammed his perfect leg across the pool table, sending a bunch of balls shooting all over the place. Well, there goes your game. "All yours. Do be careful, though. It's a quite expensive piece of art," he chuckled.

"Nothing I can't pay," she retorted wittily. A smug smile played on his lips. She placed her delicate manicured hand on his thigh and slowly ran her fingers down to his boot and back again, all the while keeping a mischievous gaze on him. "My, you've got some really really great, shiny legs," she giggled. "So sleek!"

"I know," he chuckled softly.

She made her way up his leg with her hand, stopping right at the top where his leg met his hip, where she delicately began tracing small circles on his thigh. "You know," she said in a low voice as she met his gaze, "I've heard of the little romantic escapades you have once in a while with friends of yours..." she almost purred. "I was wondering if you have a blank space on your list?" she slowly raised an eyebrow. You almost wanted to run away from so much secondhand embarrassment.

His smug smile faltered for a split second, letting the act drop for an instant. "Oh my, well aren't you just desperate to get your hands on me, honey?" he chuckled. "Well, I suppose we could arrange something if that's what you wish for," he said, putting on another bright smile for her. Anything for a fan. "But for now, show is over, gorgeous. Sorry to cut this short, but hopefully we'll meet again sometime soon," he smirked, gently taking her hand away as he removed his leg from the table and stood up straight again, towering over the both of you.

"Oh, of course we will. I'll make sure of that," she assured him, briefly glancing at you with daggers in her eyes. You bit down hard on your lip.

"Alright. If you say so," he grinned softly as he pulled out his vibrating phone. "I think my chauffeur is here now, so just give me a moment, darlings," he turned to the side as he picked up. "Hello, Maurice, darling..."

In those brief seconds, Caitlyn pulled your arm towards her, scowling furiously. "I can't believe you did this to me. I thought we were friends!" She exclaimed and shoved you back harshly, just in time as Mettaton hung up. Your blood turned cold. You didn't dare to meet her gaze.

"Alright, darling. I must get going now. It was a great pleasure to meet you, Ms. Moreau," he said, and he probably flashed one of his charming smiles, but you didn't see it. You were too busy freaking out in your head and looking down at your shoes and destroying your lower lip.

"Oh, please, just call me Caitlyn," she smiled. "And it was great to meet you too, Mettaton. I look forward to seeing you again," she winked.

"As do I," he smirked.

"Hold on, before you go...can I take a selfie with you?" She asked excitedly.

"Oh, of course, darling," He leaned down to her height as she raised her phone to take the picture.

"Okay, thank you!" she exclaimed.

"It's no problem, gorgeous," he winked. "Alright," he said your name, catching your attention one again, "we have to get going now, darling." He was smiling softly down at you as you looked up at him.

"Okay," you muttered.

"Goodbye," he sang and waved at Caitlyn as he turned to leave.

"Bye," she sang, and then glanced at you. "I'll see you around," she spat out your name.

"I-I'm sorry," you whispered as your hands turned cold as ice, and rapidly turned to follow Mettaton to the opposite side of the room to grab your stuff, pay for the drinks, and then leave.

"You better be," Caitlyn said under her breath as she watched you walk away with him. Then she turned around and walked towards the other end of the room, where her friends had been waiting for her.

☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆

"Your friend seems nice," Mettaton commented on the way to your place.

You snorted softly. "Yeah..."

"She seems like a good friend," he added.

"I guess so," you replied, stifling a yawn.

"Don't worry, we'll be at your place soon," he said, noticing your tiredness.

You simply nodded and closed your eyes briefly. Your head was still spinning a bit, but not like before. It wasn't the alcohol. All that was on your mind at the moment was how you were going to make this up to Caitlyn. You evidently hurt her and you felt like the worst friend ever, and you didn't know if there was any possible way you could fix this. Your head spun and spun around your darkest thoughts as you suddenly drifted off to sleep, your head accidentally falling on the superstar's shoulder - luckily, he wasn't wearing his shoulder pads today. You just drifted off, drowning in nightmares, and woke up to a smile as warm as morning sunlight. You lifted your head from his shoulder and squinted up at him, trying to focus on what was happening. Then you realized what had just happened and your cheeks were set aflame.

"I-I'm so sorry, I didn't r-realize-" you tried to apologize.

"It's alright, darling," he interrupted you reassuringly. His left eye glowed brightly in the darkness of the car, piercing your own eyes. "You look adorable when you sleep," he giggled softly. Your blush deepened. "By the way, we're already here," he motioned towards the window. You looked out and saw your apartment building.

"Oh, gosh. Thanks. Thank you so much," you muttered, looking back at him. "And thank you for tonight. And for your offer." You smiled softly.

"It's no problem, darling. Now, you better get some rest. You'll be needing it," he smirked.

"Okay," you replied, smiling slightly, and opened the car door.

"Oh, before you leave, I'll need your car keys so I can send someone to drop it off here in the morning. Is that okay with you?"

"Oh, right! My car. Uh...here you go," you pulled out the keys from your bag and handed it to him. "Mine's apartment 13, and um...my car is an old, black Nissan parked at the employees parking lot on the left. It's got a Rolling Stones and a Nirvana sticker at the back. Oh, and the back left side has a slight dent."

He blankly stared back at you for a moment. You chewed on your lip nervously, not knowing what else to do in this short awkward silence.

"You need a new car, ASAP. You can't be a superstar and be driving around an old, dented Nissan," he finally spoke.

"Hey, I like my car," you protested, slipping out the door and turning around to face him. "You haven't even seen it yet. He's a cutie," you defended it. Mettaton broke into laughter. You would've thought his chiming laughter sounded adorable, had he not have been laughing at you. You furrowed your brow.

"I'm sorry, darling," he said as he recovered. "I'm sure he is. But I'm gonna have to get you a new one either way, because no superstar of mine will be driving around a car like that. Okay?" He smirked. You blushed brightly at him calling you his superstar, but then shook your head.

"I'm guessing I'm not gonna get you to say no, am I?" A small chuckle escaped your lips.

"You guessed right," he snickered as he handed you your guitar case. "I'll see you on Monday, darling. Have a goodnight. An amazing night, filled with dreams about me," he smiled softly and blew a kiss at you with his hand. You laughed silently, covering your eyes with a hand and shaking your head, trying to hide your blushing, bright pink face.

"Goodbye," you said as you finally looked up and smiled back at him warmly, and closed the door.

He rolled down the window and flashed a gorgeous smile at you. As his chauffeur drove away, he waved at you dramatically, with his hand out the window, like the queen of Genovia, until he disappeared in the distance.

You stared in amusement and utter bewilderment with a smile playing on your lips. This robot was really something else. For a whole minute, you completely forgot your misery. For a whole minute, all that was left of you was a blushing mess. For a whole minute, no horrible thoughts crossed your mind. Just like when you were singing. And that was a lot to say, for a passionate musician, that is.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think. If you want. And let me know if you want me to add any warnings. 
> 
> You can talk to me or send me stuff or whatever, here:
> 
> xanderbot13.tumblr.com  
> twitter & instagram: @xanderbot13  
> email: xanderbot13@gmail.com
> 
> thanks for reading my stuff!


	7. Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: manipulative behavior, negative thoughts, allusion to self-harm.

**_BUZZ!_ **

You woke with a start. Who the fuck was buzzing your apartment this early? You reached for your phone and looked at the time. Alright, it wasn't that early, but still. You sighed, and rolled over to your side, pulling the covers over your head.

_**BUZZZ!** _

You groaned and finally rolled out of bed, walking over to the balcony to see who it was. It was some tall guy in a suit, from the Moreau? Oh right! Your car! You quickly threw on some pants and a hoodie lying around and buzzed them in. They promptly arrived at your door and handed you your car keys, kindly wishing you a good day as he left. You thanked them politely and immediately went back into the blanket cave inside your bed. It wasn't long till you woke up again around noon feeling like shit, remembering the night before. But not the good part. Happy moments were usually like this for you. They didn't last too long. Just like gigs.

The amazing events from last night were tainted with red guilt and regret as you remembered Caitlyn's hurt expression on her angelic face. You felt like you had stabbed her in the back for not having told her anything about Mettaton, knowing how bad she wanted to meet him. You felt like the worst friend ever. You felt like you didn't deserve a thing in the world. You hadn't been awake even 5 minutes, but your mind was already getting clouded with dark thoughts that got progressively worse with the tick of each second. Two hours passed, and you were still curled up in bed, being overly harsh on yourself, and debating whether or not to call her and apologize. What use would that be, though? She was probably furious at you and probably wouldn't even pick up. And if she did she would probably not let you speak at all and she'd just yell at you about how you're the worst friend anyone ever had and how she was gonna get you fired and you would starve and die because you're the shittiest musician that ever was. Okay. She wouldn't say that, probably. But she would be really, really upset and probably didn't wanna ever talk to you again.

*So what the fuck do I do now?…*  
A horrible, horrible thought crossed your mind out of a bad-habit of wanting to hurt yourself. But your phone rang just in time. You picked it up from the small nightstand beside the bed and looked at the name flashing on the screen. Caitlyn. Your stomach dropped a hundred feet. You swallowed hard and picked up.

"C-Caitlyn?"

"I can't believe what you did yesterday!" She snapped. "You have no idea of how bad I've wanted to meet him, and then you just- you just go out with him?! Without telling me?! Like, how could you do that? How could you betray me like that? I trusted you _wholeheartedly_ and then you go and do this. No one has ever hurt me this bad. You fucking stabbed my back and like, I bet you're not even sorry. What you did last night has no name. I honestly thought I could trust you! And. To think I've done _so much_ for your sorry ass. Like, I even gave you a job? Among _other things._ And this is how you pay me? By betraying our whole friendship?!" She was sobbing by now, you could hear it. Her voice was cracking in her hysteria.

You couldn't apologize though. You couldn't even speak, because you too, were sobbing angry tears. Part of you knew she was making a huge fuzz over nothing and you didn't deserve this, but part of you felt like she spit your truths right in your face, her booming voice piercing through your ears. You wanted to protest, you wanted to shout and tell her it was bullshit, that wasn't what happened, that you owed nothing to her, that she could go fuck herself with a cactus and you wouldn't give a single shit. But at the same time, you felt like she was right. You had betrayed her. You owed so much to her. You felt ashamed of thinking wrongly of her. She had basically saved your sorry ass from...god knows what atrocities. You felt absolutely pathetic and completely powerless and there was a huge lump in your throat filled with tears and you just couldn't speak. You hated how she could just reduce you to tears so easily.

"Well? Say something!" She said between strained sobs. "Now you won't speak to me?"

"Caitlyn," you managed to whisper, "I'm really sorry. B-but please don't yell at me like that, please d-don't yell at me, please don't yell at me anymore, _please…_ "

"Fine! I won't yell, just fucking say something at least!" She yelled. You winced and hugged yourself tightly. She knew how much it hurt you to get yelled at. You thought you probably deserved it though.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry for that. I'm really sorry, Caitlyn. B-but let me explain, at least…" you mumbled almost unintelligibly, afraid beyond reason. *Please don't yell...*

"Fine," she retorted, "but don't expect me to forgive you right away."

"J-just listen to me. It all j-just happened by chance. I was at Black Birds, and he just happened to be there and he watched me perform, a-and on my way out he said he wanted to talk to me about something rather important, so he said we could talk about it over a couple drinks. There, he told me he wanted to give me a record deal with his label. That's it. That was all that happened..."

There was a short silence. You bit down on your lip and clutched your bedsheets in a tight fist like you would clutch to your dear life had you been in any real danger.

"A record deal?" Was all that came out of her lips this time.

"Yeah…"

"H…he offered you a record deal?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah…"

"Sweetie, why didn't you just tell me sooner? Oh my god, now I feel terrible for yelling at you, gosh I'm so sorry! I'm so, so, so sorry, dear. Gosh, I'm just a terrible person, aren't I? Always only thinking of myself and I didn't even stop to ask you what was up and I was already thinking you didn't wanna be my friend anymore and-"

"Caitlyn…It's fine," you sighed. "Really. You didn't know. It's all my fault really…"

"Aw," she said your name sweetly, "you're always so sweet. Thanks for understanding. I'm sorry I made a huge deal about it, but, you know, all my feelings are so intense and I just have to express them," she laughed lightly and sniffed.

"W-well, you got nothing to worry about now…"

"Hold on. What do you mean nothing? Now I got a rising superstar to worry about! That's not nothing, dear. You are like, ten times more special now. You got a record deal with Mettaton! Like, WHOA! This. Is. Big." She exclaimed, jumping back into her usual self.

"Uh, technically, not yet though," you interjected. "I still haven't even looked at the contract. That'll be on Monday morning. At his studio."

"Oh gosh, you'll get to go to his new studio! Can I come along? Please?"

"Lyn, I don't think that's a good idea. I mean, I'd love to, but this is more of a business thing than a hang out," you said warily, feeling like you're walking on egg shells.

"I would let you do that," she retorted. You took a deep breath and exhaled audibly through your nose.

"I'm sorry, okay? Maybe some other time," you clenched your jaw tightly, fearing another anger burst.

"Alright…fine…but you gotta PROMISE that you'll let me hang out with him whenever he hangs out with you next."

"Kay. Fine," you sighed.

"Thanks," she giggled. "And we gotta hang out more often, sweetie. I feel like I never get to see you anymore. You're always working…" she whined. You didn't see it, but you were 100% sure she was pouting. Something in her voice...

"That's cuz I'll probably starve if I don't," you scoffed.

"Okay, okay, okay. Sorry. I just wish I could see you more often, like before...well...before the thing...remember? We'd hang out like, almost every weekend."

"Yeah," you muttered, remembering those good times, when things were slightly better, before everything went downhill. "We could hang out one of these days if you'd like," you offered.

"Sure! How about today? It's Sunday, you got nowhere to go, right?" She asked eagerly.

"Well…nope. Not really. So uh…where to?"

"How about that new cafe by the mall? I hear it's pretty good," she said.

"Okay," you agreed. "I'll just get ready, and I'll head over in a bit," you said.

"Cool. Me too. See ya there, hun," she said sweetly and hung up.

  
When you went down to the small parking lot behind the building and found your dinky car back in it's usual spot, you couldn't help but remember last night. The good part. You smiled softly to yourself as you walked towards it and slipped into the drivers seat. There was a pink, glittery sticky note with something written on it on the wheel:

Here's your car, cutiepie ;)

-MTT xoxo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know everything looks bad right now but the next one is better, I promise. Oh and the one after that one is precious. Just bear with me...Anyway...I hope you enjoyed. I'd really appreciate some feedback...if you want..no pressure though.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read my stuff :)


	8. Paper Gangsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a tiny tiny taste of the shitstorms to come in the very distant future.i

"So he offered you a contract…right there…just…so casually? Just like that?" Caitlyn gaped at you from across the table after hearing the whole story. Her eyes nearly fell out of their sockets and into her pumpkin spice latte.

You nodded, taking a sip from your own latte, trying to hide the smug smirk on your face.  
"Yup. Just like that."

"Oh my god, you're _so_ lucky," she exclaimed, smiling brightly. "You're gonna get sooo big, oh my god. The whole world's gonna know you, you're probably gonna get as rich as me even! And you'll meet so many famous people! Oh gosh, this is so incredible. I'm so happy for you," she smiled genuinely and reached out to take your hand in hers.

"Thank you," you smiled back at her. This was your favorite Caitlyn. This was the Caitlyn you met and knew. She was quite troubled, but her bright side always out-shined the rest. Mostly.

"Always," she squeezed your hand softly, "I'm honestly so proud of you," she said, giving you a warm smile, but then she bit her lip and lowered her gaze. "And I'm glad I'm part of the reason you've grown so much through these years. I'm so glad to have helped you out a bit, and I'm glad you've made it out alive through it all. You've been so strong," she spoke you name sweetly. "I know it's been really hard for you, and...I know a lot of the time, I'm not of much help...but I just want you to know that I genuinely care about you," she gazed up at you through watery eyes. "You're the only one who can keep me grounded, and like, you're so kind and nice and genuine despite everything you've gone through. I know you're gonna make it very far," her lips curled into soft smile.

"Thanks, Lyn," you replied and smiled softly at her. She giggled, whipping away a tiny tear rolling down her cheek with her other hand.

"So, tell me. How excited are you for tomorrow?"

"Oh, man, I'm. Oh gosh. I'm...a total mess. I'm a ball of nerves. I don't know how it's gonna go, like...this is like...the hugest thing that's ever happened to me. I never thought anybody would ever think I'm good enough to offer me a record deal. My mind is going nuts, honestly," you laughed lightly and took a sip from your drink.

"Oh, it'll all go just fine, dear, I'm sure of it. You'll see. Just keep your cool and be yourself," she grinned.

"I'll _try_..." You replied, looking down at the warm mug.

"Anyway, I hear most of Mettaton's record label people are monsters, and most monsters are usually just blown away with any cool thing humans do. So yeah, what could possibly go wrong?" She said reassuringly.

You nodded. "Yeah...you're right. Thanks Lyn," you smiled.

She wasn't right though.

☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~

  
The meeting was at 10am at MTT Records, but you had been awake an hour before sunrise, having gotten only about three hours of sleep. You just couldn't sleep. You had stayed up until 2am twisting and turning and thinking and overthinking about how things were gonna go, and you woke up the same way. But finally, the clock edged closer to the meeting, and you left half an hour early, deciding to just ride your bike over there, since it wasn't really that far away from your neighborhood. A few minutes before you left, Mettaton messaged you.  
________________

 **Mettaton:** Hi darling. I'm on my way. I'll be waiting for you at the lobby, alright?

You stared at the text, trying to not hyperventilate about the whole situation, and typed a quick answer before heading out.

 **You:** okay

Your phone buzzed again in your pocket. You pulled it out again.

 **Mettaton:** xoxo ;)

________________

You rolled your eyes, putting your phone away once again and kept walking with your bike towards the elevator.

Half an hour later, you found yourself sitting at a long table, surrounded by very businessy, serious, uptight monsters in suit and tie. And Mettaton, who sat beside you at the head of the table, facing the wall, with the back of the chair facing the table. It was to make a dramatic entrance he had said. Your palms were sweating. Everyone's eyes were on you. Well, at least everyone who had eyes.

"Dear everyone here present," Mettaton started, "you must be wondering why I summoned you here," he said in a low tone as he slowly turned his chair around and looked out at his team with a mischievous smile smeared upon his lips. He wore a couture black sequined suit with shoulder pads for his shoulder pads underneath.

Nobody said anything. They all looked at him expectantly.

"Well…the reason I have brought you all here is because. I, Mettaton," he said, putting a hand to his chest, "have discovered a human with an amazing talent. This here human," he motioned towards you as he said your name, making all eyes shift in your direction again. Heat shot through your whole face. "-is beyond what you would call a 'wonderful musician'. So, I have a proposal," he smirked, scanning each of their faces with a piercing gaze. "I want to sign them with MTT Records," his cocky grin widened.

Silence.

Your hands began sweating even more. You bit down hard on your lower lip, searching for any positive reactions. But none were even close. Some of them fidgeted with their hands nervously, others pretended to look deep in thought, some were frowning and shaking their head slightly, but there was one. One who only scowled back at Mettaton, as if what he had said had brought dishonor to his whole family and his cow. Scowl Sweeleran, the executive producer. A hairy, red, gecko-like person with a face that reminded you of a demoniacal version of Kermit the frog.

"I hate to disagree with you, but this doesn't seem like a good idea, sir," He said in a somber tone. His deep voice reminded you of Professor Snape's. You shuddered slightly.

"Oh, is that so? Pray tell your good reason to dislike my brilliant idea, Scowl," Mettaton repliedin a cocky tone, leaning back on his chair, crossing his arms behind his head.

"For the ten thousandth time, it's Mr. Sweeleran, not Scowl," he sighed, irritated. "Well, although this record company is, in fact, your own, and you can do what you wish, I would suggest keeping monsters only in your medium. Given the fact that humans are not at all accustomed to our ways, it would be extremely difficult to cooperate with a human and produce something worthy of listening to. Plus, we don't have enough staff yet in our label to afford signing another artist." He said in a heavily patronizing tone. Once he spoke, others began gathering the courage to speak up too.

"He's right, sir," said Aqualys, the label's A&R executive. "The way humans manage their recording companies is a lot different than how we do it. And neither the human nor our team are accustomed to working together. So far, the only music we have produced is yours and your band's, sir, which is quite a breakthrough in the music industry here on the surface, but it is something we are relatively used to working with since you are of our kind. But with a human, I am afraid that we would have too many clashing creative differences, which would most likely cause the product to fail," she pursed her lips, her neon yellow eyes looking slightly ashamed behind her bravado.

"A-also, like Mr. Sweeleran said, our current staff will f-fall short if we sign another artist. You and the band are the only ones w-we can manage right now. Plus, with the production of your upcoming album next year, we would have too much in our hands," said a small voice behind a cloud in the shape of a mouse. Finiku, one of the representatives.

"I've also heard that human eyes are poisonous to look at overtime. That can't be good for any of us," someone else added. Many heads agreed. You wanted to face-palm at that so badly.

Soon, everyone in the team started chipping in their opinions about why having a human in their label was a bad thing. But it all boiled down to discrimination. Not all monsters were okay with humans, just like a lot of humans were not okay with monsters yet. The new rivalry was bound to happen, given human history's tendency to repeat itself. Of course, not all were like that. Thankfully, the great majority of humans and monsters got along pretty well, hence their smooth transition into the human world. But, to your misfortune, these monsters weren't quite human-friendly. Specially that scary gecko guy it seemed.

"Alright, thank you, everyone!" Mettaton hollered. "You may now shut your pretty little mouths up," he said in a derisive tone, silencing the whole room. You, a lost puppy in a corner, timidly looked back up at him while chewing on your lip. He spoke again.  
"All I was able to hear in this noisy clamor is that you are all too afraid of breaking your boundaries. The best excuse you could come up with was 'because it's a human, oh no,'" he said mockingly, putting up air quotes with his hands. "It's simply pathetic. You haven't even listened to this brilliant human play. So," he said your name, changing into a gentle tone briefly, making your hands shake like a chihuahua. Your eyes widened. "Demonstrate them what you can do, darling," he winked at you, handing you a conveniently placed guitar in a corner of the room on his side.

"Uh-uh..um…okay.." you stammered, taking the guitar.

You didn't know what to play. Your mind went blank. Your heart was racing. Your hands were shaking. Taking a deep breath, you went with the first song that came to your mind and strummed the first chord. Shit. Wrong chord. You started again, ignoring the couple coughs and throat clearings heard in the background. You played as smoothly as you could while your hands turned into ice. You sang in a soft voice, scared that if you raised it a bit more you would sing off-key. You tried very hard to ignore the knot in your stomach and just focus on getting the song right. You agonized through the whole song. When you finally finished, you nervously looked up at Mettaton, searching for some sign of approval. He smiled softly, melting your fear a little bit. Then he spoke up.

"You see what I mean?" He raised an eyebrow at their stoic faces.

"Nope. I still don't see it, sir," said the red gecko man.

"I'm sorry, this human doesn't sound very professional. They were hesitant, unsure, missed some chords, hit the wrong notes here and there, and kept lowering their voice. That was a complete disaster," Aqualys objected.

"Not a great vocal range either," said another.

"Did any of you even listen to the lyrics? Did any of you notice the depth of their words? This is poetry on a song, my dears!" Mettaton exclaimed with a strained smile.

More of them kept objecting with abrasive, insensitive remarks, ignoring anything he had said. You were clenching your jaw tightly, trying your darn best to hold back tears. Mettaton rose from his seat and smashed the table with his fist.

"My dear, beloved, lovely staff...who here likes having a job?" He gazed up at them with a wicked smile. Everyone went completely silent. "Would you like to...keep that job?" his smile grew wider.

Everyone nodded submissively. Except the Scowl gecko guy. He only kept scowling. His name suited him. Mettaton noticed, but decided to let it slide for now.

"Great," he grinned. "So that must mean you agree with me, right darlings?"

They silently nodded in unison again.

"Good," he smiled smugly, sitting back down.

"Well, I don't!" Mr. Sweeleran objected, raising his voice. "First off, I should be the one to decide what kind of artists have the potential to succeed and who should be signed to the record label. With all do respect, sir, that is part of my job. You are the artist. You are not supposed to mess with this area of-"

"May I remind you, Mr. Sweeleran, that I am, not only the artist, but the owner of this label. I oversee every aspect of it, even your area. I can do I want," Mettaton chuckled at his outburst.

"With all do respect, sir. I don't think you have any idea of what you're dealing with here. This is a human. I, for one, don't think they have any potential at all, and I'm sure many of us here agree with me. Signing them would just bring the whole label to plummet into an endless abyss. No one's going to want to listen to this poor excuse of an artist," he retorted. You flinched at his every word and desperately tried to swallow the lump in your throat as you clenched your jaw tightly and dug your nails deep into your sweaty palms.

"Huh, that's strange. All that clapping and cheering at the bar I first heard them play at seemed to tell me otherwise," Mettaton replied casually.

"Sir. You don't understand. This is unacceptable. Their performance is horrific. And it's a HUMAN for crying out loud!" he slammed his scaly palm against the table, making you flinch again.

"Alright...there seems to be quite a disagreement here. My...how rude of you...I suppose I'm just gonna have to let you go," Mettaton smirked, waiting a few seconds to create suspense. Then he finally uttered the words. "You're fired."

The angry gecko guy looked shocked at first, but then his face contorted into an enraged expression.

"Fine! Be like that, you rusty piece of trash. Since you always refuse to listen, like the arrogant, self-centered diva that you are, you know what?" He stood up from his chair aggressively. "You're not firing me! I quit!" He pushed the chair all the way back until it slammed against the wall behind him and stormed off, slamming the door on his way out.

His rage outburst had left you shaking and struggling to breathe properly, but Mettaton simply cleared his throat, unperturbed.

"Well, then," he said in a calm tone, "Aqualys, you're promoted. You'll be the new executive producer, and Finiku, you'll take over A&R," he said simply.

"Thank you, sir," they spoke at the same time.

"Alright, now that we are all on the same page and we all agree with my plan, let's get on with reading and discussing the contract, shall we?" he lifted an eyebrow, wearing a smug smirk on his face as he pulled out the 1000 page document. You gaped at the thing in disbelief. Mettaton smiled at you, watching your reaction. "Don't worry hun, it's just for aesthetic. The actual contract is only 6 pages long," he winked at you, handing your the contract.

You opened the first page to find a picture of Mettaton posing dramatically on top of a grand piano. Below it, it said 'If Mettaton is the most beautiful and talented superstar on the planet, sign below _____'. You glanced up at him in disbelief.

"Really?"

"Well, do you want to get signed or not?" He grinned cockily.

You looked down at the contract again and puffed air out through your teeth. The rest of the contract was just as ridiculous. There was something about wearing MTT-Brand underwear every Wednesday, something about including the word "Fabulous" in at least one song, wearing MTT-Brand perfume at least once a month, and other things like that. Despite that, however, the royalties were split pretty evenly between the label and the artist, giving you most of the credit and the rights to your recordings. Aqualys, who had been helping you by reading a copy of the contract and explaining a few things about it, finally reached the end of the actual part of the contract, where the rest was just pictures of Mettaton sprinkled with glitter. You mentally shook your head in amusement and signed at the bottom of the last page.

"Alright," said Aqualys, calling you by your prefix and your last name, "Welcome to MTT Records," she muttered, her voice devoid of all excitement as she gave you a somber look. You looked up and saw the same expression on everyone. Except Mettaton, of course. His ever-present smirk never left his face. But inside, your stomach flipped, giving you a slightly nauseating feeling.

As you and Mettaton walked out of the meeting room, you couldn't help but lower your gaze and bite down on your lower lip, almost breaking through your skin, furrowing your brow in pain and guilt. You put your hands into the pockets of your jacket and walked faster towards the main hall, to the elevator. It was clear no one wanted you there.  
  
You walked faster, trying to reach the elevator as soon as possible, feeling like you were about to burst.

Mettaton furrowed his brow in concern. "Darling?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone still reading, thank you for sticking around and taking the time to read my stuff <3  
> I would really appreciate some feedback. You're all great. Hope you enjoyed xx
> 
> Talk to me or something, if you want:
> 
> xanderbot13.tumblr.com  
> Twitter: @xanderbot13


	9. Up-Close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Good doses of oxytocin and pheromones

_*Suggested Listening:_   
_Fucking Perfect - Pink_   
_Heroes - David Bowie*_

Your mind was clouding with dark thoughts again. You raised a cold, shaky hand to press the button for the elevator, but a white gloved hand stopped it from doing so.

"Wait. Darling. Is everything alright?" He asked with concern in his voice. "You're shaking..." He furrowed his brow.

You clenched your jaw tightly, avoiding his gaze. "Do I _look like_ I'm alright?" You whispered through a constrained throat, trying not to cry.

"No, silly. That's why I'm asking," he said playfully, hoping to lighten the mood, while he leaned down to your height to gaze straight into your glazed eyes. You looked away, bitting down on your lip. "What's wrong, darling?"

You stayed silent, avoiding his gaze at all costs and trying to keep the knot in your throat at bay, or you were sure there would be a fucking tsunami.

"C'mon...you can tell me..." He insisted. "I'm the most trustworthy person ever, after all," he said with a slight smugness in his tone as he flashed an adorable, crooked grin. You wanted so badly to just give in...but you just shook your head.

"I gotta go..." You whispered, still struggling to not cry, and moved past him to press the elevator button. But once again, he stopped your hand and took hold of your wrist.

"Not until I see a smile on that cute face of yours," he flashed one of his own, and man, was it gorgeous, but you weren't in the mood.

"Mettaton. I just really have to leave. I can't be here anymore. I can't. I can't do this, okay?" You couldn't hold it in any longer, and the knot in your throat finally dissolved into thick, wet, salty tears that rolled down your cheeks nonstop. Your vision turned so blurry you couldn't make out the shape of your shoes below you. You lowered your gaze and hid your face behind a curtain of hair, cursing at yourself under your breath. Why did this have to happen to you? You, a grown-ass adult, bawling your eyes out in front of a superstar? Really?

"Oh...darling...sweetheart...please don't cry..." He said hesitantly, not really knowing how to handle this. He had never seen a real life human cry so up-close. You could hear the deep concern in his voice. "Here...come with me..." He said decisively, pulling you along towards another long hallway, never letting go of your wrist. He took you into a wide room with two huge doors at the entrance and sat you down on a comfy, soft couch on the far left. He sat beside you. There were two other similar couches at each side. The windows extended all around the length of the room except the wall behind you and the wall facing the hall, allowing the warm, late morning sun to engulf half the room in golden rays. The decorations around the room consisted of a number of fancy lamps, a life-size silver sculpture of Mettaton in a corner, a few of his posters on the walls, some artwork (mostly fanart of him and his band), and a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. There was also a grand piano on the opposite side of the room and several other instruments and equipment lying around.

"Alright, what's the matter?" He asked in a gentle tone.

You hesitated, still crying a bit, but not too much. You finally looked up and looked around, exploring the room with your eyes.

"Where are we?" You asked, evading his question.

"It's our Practice Room. And also a nice place to relax and write songs, or, y'know, jam together and improvise with the band. I thought you'd be more comfortable here. I know I am," he smiled softy. You nodded slowly, looking down at your lap again. "So...what's the matter?" He asked again.

You hesitated, sighing softly, trying to calm your tears. "No one wants me here..." You mumbled.

His eyes grew wide with rage, the soft, pink glow of iris turning so bright it was almost red.  
"That's not true," he spoke softly, but sternly. He grasped your shoulder gently and shifted your position towards him so you'd look at him. "Listen to me, darling. I brought you here for a reason. _I_ want you here. And whatever they say doesn't matter. _I_ have the upper hand here, and no matter what, _I will_ make you feel at home here. You understand?"

You shook your head. "They hated it...they hate me...they hate how I sing...they hate how I play...they hated my song...everyone hates me," You looked down at your lap again. "I'm not worth it. I honestly don't know what you saw in me...I have no talen-"

"D-don't you dare say that, human." He cut you off sternly, his voice glitching a bit. His eyes were glowing as bright as the blood racing through your every artery. For a split second you thought of running. He looked so scary. He must have noticed the fear in your eyes, because he softened his expression and spoke in a gentle tone. "You have so much talent in you. Don't let what others think of you define you. Believe in yourself. I know you can do this. I know a star when I see one," he flashed one of his signature smiles.

A shaky sigh escaped your lips. "I'll try..." You said without any sign of life in your voice. At least your tears had finally ceased.

"Good," he grinned as he stood up and walked over to the other side of the room. You weren't watching when he came back with a hot pink Les Paul and carelessly dropped in on your lap.

"Ow! That shit's heavy you kno!- ohhh...wow...I've always wanted to play one of these..." You gasped at the sight of the marvelous beauty in front of you and carefully picked it up.

"Well, I'm glad, because you're going to do that just now," he said with a bright smile on his face as he handed you the plug cord. Your eyes brightened as you took it. Sitting back down, he opened a small, hidden port on his lower back, plugged the other end into his aux input, and turned the dial on his front to a medium volume. You stared at him, a bit baffled at this...ability. He then noticed you looking at him.

"What? Did you want to do that instead?" He smirked suggestively. You furrowed your brow and shook your head in disapproval. He chuckled.

Finally, you looked down at the guitar and strummed a chord hesitantly. Then another. It felt like magic. You went on and improvised a slow arpeggio, and it sounded like a million little shining stars. A smile started creeping up to your lips. Mettaton kept his eyes locked on your face, and soon, his whole iris reflected those same little shining stars in your music. He'd never seen a human play so up-close before. Slowly, he leaned in closer to you.

"Like it?" He whispered. You gasped at the sudden feel of his lips so close to your ear. You felt like a wave of electricity shot through your whole body, making the tiny hairs on your arms stand up. You stopped playing briefly.

"I love it," you whispered back, not daring to look up from the guitar.

"I'm glad," he muttered, moving away from your ear again. You could hear the smile in his voice. "But please, don't let me stop you, darling. Keep playing," he said and gently stroked a strand of your hair.

You gasped as you felt another wave of electricity run down your spine. You shivered slightly at the touch. Your heart skipped a beat, and then beat faster than sound. Oh no...you had a slight idea of what was happening in your brain, and didn't quite like where it was going...but you secretly loved it anyway.

"W-what would you want me to play?" You muttered as you looked up at him and a strong, sweet, fresh smell filled your lungs. He was so close...

"Hmm...Well, now that you ask, there's this one song you played the other night. There was this one part in the chorus that said something like 'a smile for the audience, a-"

"'Disaster backstage'..." You nodded, finishing the lyric for him. "It's called 'Smile For Them'," you said, returning his smile.

"It's a beautiful song," his smile grew a bit wider. Yours did too as you looked down and blushed.

"Thanks," you muttered. "So um, that one then?"

"Yes," he replied.

"As you wish," you replied mockingly as you looked down at the guitar.

Your fingers danced gracefully on the strings as you began playing the song for him. You briefly looked up at him and watched as a thousand little twinkly stars lit up his iris again. His soft smile grew into a dazzling one, making your lips curl into as timid grin and your face heat up. Looking down, you kept playing, and soon, you were both lost in the song. You played with your eyes closed. Your melodious voice echoed on every wall. Each strum resounded all over the room.

_"...Your heart's been stabbed with a knife_

_All you ever loved turned to dust_

_But you smile like it's the best day of your life_

_Despite all your pain, you must_

_Cuz you need to let them know you're alright, you're alright_

_And smile for them..._

_Cuz you're the smile on their lips_

_You're the short-lived joy of their night_

_You have to make them forget about their fight_

_And you'll smile for the audience..._

_There'll be time to break down behind the curtains..._

_Cuz you're a smile for the audience...a disaster backstage..."_

Your song engulfed the room with emotions. But you had completely forgotten where you were. And Mettaton too. He kept his eyes on you the whole time. Suddenly, without a warning, something inside him felt like it was slowly breaking, and slowly coming together all at once, but he couldn't place his finger on it. And he didn't know why his internal fans went full blast every time he heard you sing. And he didn't know why he loved the sight of you playing so much. All he knew was that he was completely hypnotized...you were so up-close...

Neither of you noticed when a couple of the staff members walked past the room and peeked inside. Neither of you noticed how they stayed at the door for a full minute, listening intently and trying to keep their sudden overflow of emotions in check. But...well, that happened. Never again would they say something negative about you now.

As you finished the song with the last strum, you opened your eyes and looked up to see Mettaton's reaction. His eyes were aglow with starlight and his smile was brighter than ever. You couldn't help but smile too.

"So...how was that?" You asked in a shy voice.

"Beyond wonderful, daring!" he replied. Softening his smile, he reached down to take your hand. Something in your stomach jumped. "I'm proud to have had the honor to sign such a talented artist with my label," he smirked as he gently brought up your hand to his lips and placed a light, tender kiss on your knuckles. Your lower lip quivered slightly. Heat shot through your face as you felt the tingling sensation of his soft lips against your skin.

"Th-thanks..." You mumbled and bit your lip, trying prevent yourself from screaming at the top of your lungs. The thing in your stomach jumped again. He chuckled, letting go of your hand.  
  
"You see? You have an amazing talent, darling. And there's no going back now. You're here to stay," he declared, flashing a smile. "Deal?" He extended his hand to you. You stared at it for a brief second, taking his words in.

"Deal," you smiled and raised your gaze back at him, taking his hand and shaking it.

On your way down in the elevator, Mettaton looked down at you, saying your name to get your attention.

"Yeah?" You asked.

"Are you busy right now?"

"Uh...no, not really. Not until 4, why?"

"Do you wanna have lunch?" He offered casually. "You know, to celebrate our new business partnership," he smirked.

"Um, s-sure," you replied timidly, mentally kicking yourself for stuttering.

"Great," he smiled down at you. Just then, the doors slid open. "Come with me then," he said, leading you out into the underground parking garage.

His car stood out, outshining the rest. Following him, you found yourself standing in front of a hot pink, sparkling Lamborghini. He made his way over to the left side, raised the door open, and slipped inside. Meanwhile, you kept gaping at the pink monstrosity. Mettaton stretched his arm across and opened your door from the inside.

"Well, come inside, doll!" He called, "and close your pretty mouth while you're at it," he smiled playfully. You hadn't realized your jaw was wide open. Embarrassed, you clasped your jaw shut and slipped into the passenger seat, closing the door afterwards. "Alright, ready to go?" He looked down at you with a mischievous smile. Or maybe it was just one of his regular smiles, you couldn't tell. He always looked like he was up to something.

"Yeah but...uh...where?" You asked in a soft voice.

"Wherever the wind takes us," he said with passion, looking straight ahead with his hands on the wheel. You fought a smile at his little dramatic scene.

"Alright, how about McDonalds?" You teased him. He turned his gaze towards you and gasped.

"How dare you suggest such a thing?" He shook his head in disapproval.

You gave him a cheeky grin, laughing softly.

"That's not funny," he glared at you playfully. "Let's just go and we'll decide on the way," he suggested, smiling again.

"Okay," you replied.

The ride was thrilling, to say the least. Looking out the window like a captivated little kid, you felt like you were flying in a spaceship. The buildings, the people walking, the busy streets, the brightly colored, fiery autumn trees, the coffee shops or fast food restaurants, everything seemed to have acquired some sort of hidden magic you never knew about before. You felt like you were in a movie with the perfect soundtrack. And it was quite perfect, indeed. The radio was playing some of your favorite songs, making everything around you seem to glow.

Mettaton probably noticed your deep immersion in the scene, because he asked, "do you want the top down?"

"Huh?" You turned to look at him distracted.

"Do you want the top down?" He asked again with a cute grin on his face.

"Sure!" Your eyes brightened up even more.

"Alright," he pressed a button at the bottom of the center console, making all the windows automatically roll down and the hardtop retract into the back of the car.

Suddenly, you felt the cold, crisp wind lashing against your face and dancing through your hair. The rays of midday sunlight enveloped you and reflected off his face, making both of you glow. You looked up at the crystal skies above you and smiled widely, enjoying every breath you'd take. Mettaton looked over at you.

"Having fun, darling?" He asked, flashing a smile.

"Yes," you sighed, looking up at him, still smiling widely.

"Me too," he replied, not taking his eyes off of you. For a brief moment, your eyes locked with his.

Screeching tires and loud honking noises brought you both back to reality. He hit the brakes abruptly, sending your torso flying forward and crashing back onto your seat thanks to your seatbelt. He almost ran the red light.

"Holy shit," you cursed under your breath. Your heart raced.

"Oh gosh, a-are you okay?" He muttered, his voice glitching a bit.

"Y-yeah," you laughed nervously, shaking your head.

"I'm sorry..." He laughed with you.

"It's okay, just, you know, be careful," you replied, still giggling.

"I know, darling," he laughed. The green light flashed and he continued driving, keeping his eyes on the road now. "So, tell me, do you like Italian?" He asked after a while.

"Yup," you replied.

"How about we go to Paolo's?"

"Paolo's?" Your eyes widened. "But it's like...super expensive...I mean it's a 5 star restaurant," you exclaimed.

"Did you really expect anything less from me?" He replied with an arched brow.

You rolled your eyes. "Okay, but, don't you need like, reservations?"

"I am an exception to that," he smiled smugly.

"But I can't pay-"

"Who said you were paying?" He glanced at you briefly with a glint in his eye.

"Mettaton, no. You can't pay for me," you argued.

"Of course I can, darling. I am, after all, the richest superstar robot on the surface," he smirked.

"You're the only superstar robot on 'the surface,'" you said, using your hands to make air quotations.

"That too," he kept smirking, ignoring your witty remark. You rolled your eyes playfully and smiled to yourself.

"You have to at least let me pay for the drinks," you said.

"If you insist," he shook his head, smiling.

Soon, you arrived at the doors of the restaurant. As you both got out of the car, Mettaton gave his keys to the valet and walked ahead of you into the open doors of the restaurant, his heels clicking against the marble floor. You followed close behind, looking around the large, extravagant place curiously. You felt like the ceiling almost touched the sky.

"Hello, table for two, please," he ordered the lady at the front desk, leaning his forearm against it and his other hand on his hip. She nodded, unperturbed by his seductive gaze, then called one of the waiters to show you to your table. A tall, penguin-like monster wearing a tuxedo appeared in front of you.

"Good afternoon, sir. Would you like a table on the first floor, the garden, the second floor, or balcony?" He asked in a rehearsed-sounding tone. Mettaton looked down at you.

"Where would you like, darling?" He asked, raising a metallic brow expectantly.

"Uh...I don't know, wherever is fine," you answered.

"Alright then. The balcony," he told the waiter. He then guided you through a large room filled with tables and people, past an extravagant, circular indoor fountain with small fishes in it, and led you up a wide, curved staircase, through another spacious room filled with tables and people dressed in haute couture eating fancy meals, and finally out into a giant balcony with several tables and large umbrellas to guard them from the sun.

"Let's sit by the edge," Mettaton said, looking down at you for approval.

"Yeah," you said without hesitation, following him to a table right beside the handrail.

As you sat down, the waiter handed you the menus and left. You looked through the menu. Every dish you saw made your stomach growl, but most were far too expensive for you to afford. Looking further down the menu, you spotted something that made you crack up.

"What's the matter?" Mettaton asked, quirking an eyebrow at you. You took a deep breath and calmed yourself down.

" _'Spaghetti a la MTT_ '? Really?" You looked up at him quizzically.

"I hear it's really good," he said, with that ever-present smirk upon his lips. You shook your head with an amused smile on your face.

"You know, actually, I have a friend who would probably love this dish," you chuckled.

"Is that so?" he smiled. "And who is this friend of yours?"

"He's my best friend's younger brother. His name's Papyrus, and he adores you. But his one true love is spaghetti. Like, I'm not even kidding."

"Oh, I sure would love to meet this friend of yours, darling. He sounds like such a sweetheart," he chuckled softly.

"He is," you grinned, looking down at the menu again.

You kept looking until you finally decided to settle for one of the simplest, cheapest dishes you could find -which was still quite a lot, for a single dish- and a soft drink. Soon, the waiter came back and took your orders. Mettaton, of course, ordered the dish named after himself. After the waiter left, you looked over to the side, where there was an incredible view to the city. Looking out into the landscape before your eyes, you spotted various significant landmarks, like those huge, sprawling skyscrapers that never failed to impress you with their magnificent height, the Moreau Hotel, the ever-growing MTT Resort of course, closed for renovations at the moment, and lots of other buildings. It all looked like a lego city from where you sat. You marveled at beauty of the view.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Mettaton commented, looking out at the city. You nodded. "That's one of the reasons I adore coming here. Everything looks so small, and the world looks so big...it gives you a new perspective," he smiled slightly. "I never knew there was so much life until I arrived on the surface. So many things to discover...so many people to captivate," he smirked, showing his blindingly white teeth.

As he spoke, you peered at him in a sidelong glance through lit up eyes, his words drawing your attention. If only you felt the same way. Perhaps you did. A small part of you who was still raging to survive. A part of you who still dared to dream. The part of you who still pushed you to play gigs at night, and write songs at 2am. You smiled softly with your gaze still fixed on him. He suddenly shifted his own gaze towards you.

"What are you smiling at, darling?" He asked, wearing a cocky smile. Heat rose to your face, erasing your small grin.

"N-nothing," you shook your head dismissively.

"Oh, don't be afraid to say it. I'm used to receiving compliments," he teased.

"Oh my god," you said under your breath, closing your eyes and exhaling in frustration. He chuckled at your reaction. Despite his arrogance, his words still resounded in your head. _*So many things to discover...so many people to captivate...*_ Perhaps he was right. Maybe he wasn't as superficial as you once thought. Up-close, he seemed more...genuine.

As the afternoon progressed, you and him kept making small talk. You spent a good two hours just talking random nonsense, which mostly consisted of him telling you about his shows or interviews, or little things about his friends and his cousin, and things he liked to do, like how he loved to cook in the morning on his days off, even if sometimes it was just ghost food for his cousin. You didn't think you'd ever be so interested in a conversation about ghost pancakes, or his old collection of rectangular gemstones, but, for some unknown reason, you were. Further on, he tried to make you talk about yourself. You weren't much for conversation though, but he was persistent.

"C'mon, darling, don't hide yourself. I've already told you so much about me. It's your turn now," he smiled. You side-glanced him, not wanting to take your gaze off the city. His smile made your own lips curl into a small grin. It was contagious.

"Alright then. Shoot," you said, ready to answer any silly question. His smile widened slightly.

"Did you grow up here, in this city?" He asked.

You shook your head. "I grew up in a small town many, many miles away. I've only been in this city for about four years, nearly five. But it's home," you smiled softly.

Mettaton leaned in slightly closer and propped up his arms on the table, resting his head on the back of his hands. He looked at you curiously.  
"Why did you move here?"

You shrugged. "College...I had a great scholarship...and I wanted to get away..." you trailed off, looking away.

"From what?"

You shrugged again, pausing for a moment. "'That's a story for another time, darling,'" you mimicked him, exaggerating his tone, and smirked at him. He chuckled.

"Alright, if you say so," he smiled. "So you just graduated then?"

"I..." this was quickly escalating into really personal topics. You could've lied, or not said anything, but you decided to say the truth. "No...I...I actually lost my scholarship..." you confessed. "That's why I didn't go back..." you looked out at the city again, this time to avoid his gaze.

"Oh...I'm sorry..."

"It's okay. I'm a lot better now," you offered him a soft smile. He smiled back.

"So anyway..." he trailed off, trying to think of what to ask next. "What's your favorite season?" he asked, changing the topic.

"Fall," you grinned.

"Well, it's great we met right at the start of fall, then. That way, your favorite season will now forever remind you of me too," he smirked.

"Mettaton, I swear to god..." you muttered in exasperation, breaking eye contact to cover your eyes with a hand. He chuckled in amusement.

"Alright, then, what's your favorite nice-cream flavor?"

"Anything that doesn't taste like flavored hairballs," you laughed lightly, looking up at him again. "One time I tried one that tasted just like that. It was disgusting," you grimaced.

"I can imagine," he laughed.

  
"I'm kidding though. My favorite is probably the rainbow swirl," you answered.

"Oh, I love that one too," he replied with a smile.

He kept on asking about things like that. Favorite color, favorite gemstone, favorite bands, coffee or tea, beach or mountain, your dream job as a kid, lucky number, favorite TV shows, little things like that. Eventually a whole hour passed like in the blink of an eye.

"What's your favorite thing about me?" He asked suddenly. You almost choked on your drink.

"What?" You asked, taken a little by surprise. Not that his question surprised you, but the randomness of it.

"There must be something," he said, tossing a bold look at you, flashing an all-too-bright smile. You snickered, not taking him seriously. You looked down, sipping from your drink as you tried to think of a good comeback, but instead remembered what he had said a few hours ago.

"That thing you said earlier," you said, deciding to answer his question.

"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow, slightly puzzled.

"That's my answer. That thing you said earlier, about the view of the city from up here. How it gives you a new perspective about the world and all," you replied.

"Oh..." Was all he said. He lowered his gaze slightly, a shy smile hiding behind his expression. It might have been the wind, or the background noises, but you swore you heard whirring noises, like the ones your computer's fans made when it was overheating. For a moment, there was silence, except for that noise. "Why?" He spoke again. Softly this time.

"It was deep, man," you smirked at him. "Makes you think about stuff," you said, looking over at the city.

"Like what?" He chuckled softly.

You hesitated for a moment. "Dunno. Life, as a whole I guess..." You replied, immersed in thoughts.

"And what is it you think about life?" He asked.

You thought for a moment. "Uh...I don't know...it's cruel, and...just terribly awful in so many ways. But then. There's also those sporadic, beautiful moments that make it all worth it, I guess," you shrugged, not looking away from the view. He said nothing, not looking away from you.

"You're absolutely right," he said after a moment. When your eyes shifted back towards him, he was giving you the most sincere smile you'd seen on his face. You couldn't help but smile back at him. It's good this time you weren't in the car. You probably would've run the red this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter :) 
> 
> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think
> 
> Talk to me or something...I am a lonely boy...:
> 
> xanderbot13.tumblr.com  
> Twitter: @xanderbot13
> 
> Hope you have a great day <3


	10. Sunshine

"So, have you got any gigs this week?" Mettaton asked casually on the way back to the studio.

"Yeah, I got a few at this small nightclub called Circus."

"When?"

"One tomorrow night, and then two more on Thursday, and Friday right before Black Birds."

"Great! I hope you don't mind if I show up?" he quirked an eyebrow and smiled.

"I-" you paused. "Um...I don't know if you'd like it there. It's not exactly a First Class kinda place, or whatever. I mean, it's not that bad, but...uh...yeah..." you trailed off, blushing slightly.

"I don't mind, darling. As long as you put up a magnificent show," he smirked, "which you always do, so it's fine."

Your cheeks went red. "Th-thanks," you muttered, fidgeting with your fingers nervously.

"Want me to drop you off somewhere?" he offered after a moment.

"Oh, no, thanks. I left my bike at the studio, so I gotta go get it."

"Alright," he smiled softly.

The rest of the way there, you watched outside the window, gazing at the city you'd grown to know. You passed by one of your favorite book stores, and a nice cafe you played at a few weeks ago. You watched the bright autumn leaves on the trees quivering in the cold wind and delicately falling, dancing in the wind, and creating colorful masterpieces on the ground. For a second, you pictured yourself as one of those bright leaves, delicately falling, falling...without a care in the world. You risked a side glance at him, and a soft blush appeared on your face as you studied his features, slowly running your eyes along his jaw, his forehead, his nose, his full lips, softly caressing his face with your eyesight. And his intense gaze looking right ahead at the road, his lustrous, raven hair, perfectly in place...

Suddenly you realized what you were doing and tore your eyes away from him.

"You can stare all you want, darling, I'm not complaining," he chuckled.

Heat rose violently to your face. "I wasn't staring at you," you muttered defensively.

"You thought I wouldn't notice?" he smirked.

"I wasn't staring at you!" you exclaimed again, raising your voice slightly as more heat shot through your face.

"No need to deny it, honey. My peripheral view doesn't lie," he said with a cheeky smile.

You groaned. "Whatever," you muttered, irritated, turning away from him and looking outside your window again.

He laughed softly. "You're an adorable human," he said as he stole a quick glance at you.

You stayed silent the rest of the way, blushing all the way, not risking another glance at him. He parked his car in his spot, but didn't unlock the doors. You tried to open your door, but to no avail. You glanced at him with a raised brow.

"You gonna let us out?"

"In a minute," he said, smiling charmingly, leaning back on the seat.

You sighed. "O-kay..." you said hesitantly.

He stayed there, motionless, looking at you with a playful smile. Your cheeks started heating up again.

"What?" you asked bluntly.  
  
You heard a low, whirring hum. He kept staring at you for a few seconds, piercing your eyes with his glowing gaze. Your face grew as hot as a burning stove. Finally, he spoke.

"Today was fun," he said calmly.

"Yeah," you replied quickly. "C-could you stop that?" You bit your lip.

"Stop what?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Staring at me like a creep," you laughed nervously, trying to make it sound like a joke.

He laughed slightly, "Let's go," he said as he tore his eyes away from you and unlocked the doors, letting you out.

You hurried up the staircase leading to the lobby, made your way out the door and to the bicycle rack right outside. Mettaton didn't take long to catch up. He stood there behind you and said your name to get your attention.

"Yeah?" You looked up at him.

"I hope you had a good time," he said warmly, flashing a charming smile, and suddenly, all your irritation melted away.

"Yeah, it was great. Thanks," you smiled softly at him.

"No problem," he returned the smile. "I'll see you tomorrow night, darling," he said, winking at you.

You blushed softly. "Okay. Uh...see ya," you smiled and waved slightly as you got on your bike and rode off down the street.

"Can't wait," Mettaton whispered to himself as he watched you disappear in the distance.

☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆

Your first class of the afternoon was with Frisk. As usual, they were eager to see you, as well as Toriel.

"Oh, come in, my child," Toriel greeted you with a warm smile.

"Thanks, Toriel. Sorry I'm so late, I've been super busy all morning. I know that's no excuse and I should've really kept track of my time, and I'm so stupid for not having done so, I should really be more responsible, but I'm here," you babbled, feeling slightly out of breath.

"Oh, dear, don't worry about it. I completely understand," she said, offering you a gentle smile as she walked with you to the living room. "Besides, you're only five minutes late."

You glanced at your phone to check the time. "Oh? I thought it was later than that."

"You see? Stop worrying over nothing dear. You're fine," she sat at the sofa and motioned for you to sit beside her.

Not even ten seconds later, Frisk came running down the stairs wearing a tutu and a Spiderman mask. They ran up to you and pretended to shoot spiderwebs at you with their tiny hands.

"Oh, no! You caught me!" you exclaimed, wrapping your arms around yourself, playing along.

They giggled and pulled their mask up to the top of their head to reveal their face.

"Frisk! You're Spiderman? How come you didn't tell me?" you asked, acting surprised.

Frisk simply giggled and stuck their tongue out.

You laughed softly. "Okay. Enough, little cutie. We gotta start the class, okay?"

Frisk nodded and ran over to the piano. You followed them and sat beside them.

"Oh, gosh! In all my commotion, I forgot to mention something rather important," you turned around on the seat and smiled widely at Toriel and Frisk. "The craziest thing just happened to me."

"Oh? What was it dear?" She asked curiously.

"I met Mettaton a few days ago. He listened to me play, and he offered me a flipping record deal. And today I signed with his label and then we went out for lunch," your smile only grew wider.

Toriel and Frisk gasped simultaneously. Frisk smiled widely at you, raising their small hand and holding it up to you. You gladly high-fived them and hugged them close.

Toriel said your full name -to your embarrassment- going up to you and giving you a bone crushing hug. "I am so unbelievably happy for you! Congratulations my child! I'm so proud of you! See? Your dreams are coming true. You'll be a star! Even more so than now," she pulled away and looked down at you with a huge smile on her face. "Oh, you're growing up so fast, my dear," her smile softened.

You chuckled, "Thank you, Toriel," you smiled brightly.

Frisk wiggled away from your embrace and stood up on the stool to then jump onto your back and cling to you like a monkey.

"Hey!" you laughed in surprise.

They hugged your neck gently, clinging to you and giggling childishly.

"I guess that means you're really happy for me?" you lifted an eyebrow in amusement.

You felt as they nodded their head right beside your face.

"Thanks," you smiled warmly.

"Oh, we are so happy for you, dear. You're basically part of our family, how could we not be proud?" Toriel smiled widely.

You chuckled, blushing.

"I have an idea. Why don't we take you out to eat somewhere one of these days, to celebrate?"

"Oh, gosh, I'd love to. But, I don't wanna bother you with that-"

"Dear, you don't bother me at all. We'll go to your favorite restaurant, no buts. Okay?"

You sighed, "Okay," you smiled softly.

Frisk finally released their grip on you and slid down your back onto the floor and circled you around, smiling softly up at you. You smiled back at them.

"How about this Saturday before you go to the hotel? You play until very late that day, right?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," you smiled up at Toriel.

"Okay. Well, I best be going right now, I have some papers to grade right now. You kids have fun," she said, smiling at you softly and heading upstairs.

"Okay, thanks," you called. Looking down at Frisk, you saw they were already sitting at the stool, so you went to sit beside them.

Frisk looked up to you with a sly grin and a raised eyebrow.

You furrowed your brow slightly. "What is it Frisk?"

They looked up at you, pointing at your chest, and made a heart shape with their hands. Then they raised their short leg up in the air, posing dramatically. They lowered their leg and giggled. Sometimes, Frisk liked making try to guess what they were saying. It was like a little game they had. Sometimes they did it to annoy you.

You looked at them with a puzzled expression. "Uh...I'm sorry, I don't really know what you mean this time."

They pointed at you and made the heart shape again, and waited for you to catch up.

"Um...I...love?"

They nodded, smiling widely. Then they traced a heart-shaped figure on their belly and covered the right side of their face with their hair.

"...Mettaton...?"

Frisk nodded energetically and grinned at you.

"No, I don't like him like that," you chuckled.

Frisk wiggled their eyebrows playfully at you.

"Frisk, stop it. I don't like him like that," you laughed and began playing a complicated sonata just to spite them.

They crossed their arms and stuck their tongue out to you.

You snickered. "Alright, then. Stop teasing me, and let's get on with this thang," you said, ruffling their hair playfully.

Frisk put their hands on the piano and pretended to play the piece you just played, terribly.

"Amazing. You're better than me now. See? You don't even need me as a teacher anymore," you joked.

They giggled.

"Okay, kiddo. Seriously, though. Let's get started. Play the last thing we practiced, and the one I gave you for homework," you said, finally composing yourself.

Frisk nodded and began playing.

Two other classes followed after Frisk's before you could go home. Your next class was with a teenage girl learning guitar. And finally, your last class of the day ended at 7pm with a monster kid. Their actual name was a mouthful, so everyone just called them that, Monster Kid. They actually kinda liked their nickname. They were also one of Frisk's best friends at school. They were learning to play piano too -a small foot piano specially made for them, since they had no arms.

When you got home, you took your shoes and your jacket off and flopped down on your bed, feeling exhausted. You closed your eyes for a minute, enjoying the quiet solitude of your small apartment. You thought about today's events, and how surreal it had felt. Not the record deal, no. You didn't even want to think about that right now, even though you had to go back next Monday and start recording. What was spinning around in your mind right now was the graceful sound of the pink Les Paul. The way the golden sun rays seeped into the room. The ride to Paolo's. The bright autumn leaves shaking in the wind. The cold breeze on your face. The wind in your hair. His intense gaze. The restaurant's breathtaking view, the scenery of the city. His dazzling smile. His endearing words. The way he seemed to shine brighter without a spotlight. He was still the arrogant asshole everyone knew and loved, but part of it seemed to fade away when he was talking to you. He seemed...real...genuine...

It was morning when you realized you had fallen asleep thinking about him. Shit. Yawning, you pulled out your phone from your pocket and glanced at the time. 10:30am. You lazily rolled to your side and connected your dying phone to the charger beside your bed. You slowly stood up and stretched, not really wanting to start the day.

Half-way through your breakfast, you heard your phone buzzing at your bedside table. You got up from the couch and rushed to pick it up. Your eyes widened at the name flashing on the screen. Mettaton. You took a deep breath and picked up.

"Hello?"

"Darling! I'm so glad to hear your lovely voice on this fine morning," he said in a slightly overdramatic voice.

"Uh, thanks. Same, I guess," you chuckled slightly.

"Listen..I know I said I would be there tonight to hear you sing, but turns out I have some extra work to do today at the studio and probably won't make it. I'm sorry, dear," he said, sounding completely disappointed.

"Oh, It's alright, don't worry about it," you said calmly.

"Thank you for understanding. I'll try to make it next time, alright?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Alright. Well, as much as I would love to keep talking, I have quite a busy day today. I'm actually about to go to an interview right now. I'm supposed to be getting ready...So, I shall talk with you later, darling."

"Okay. Good luck with the interview," you said cheerfully, "bye."

"Thank you, sunshine. goodbye," he hung up.

You stood there motionless for a moment, still holding the phone to your ear. What did he just call you?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my stuff <3
> 
> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think. I really appreciate your feedback. 
> 
> I hope you're having a great day/week/life. Take care xx


	11. Tiny Dancer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm so sorry I haven't been updating so frequently. I've been super busy with my job and piano and I'm also applying for a summer music program in Berklee, which is a HUGE deal for me, and I was also siick last week and ugh yesterday I did something really really stupid and had to go to the hospital, but I'm okay now, so yeah. My life is pretty chaotic atm. But here it is! New chapter! Hope you enjoy ~

_*Suggested Listening*_  
_Starlight - Taylor Swift_  
_Tiny Dancer - Elton John_  
_So Happy I Could Die - Lady Gaga_

Tuesday night, you felt kind of drained from giving classes for 5 hours straight. You had just finished your supper, and now you were standing at your balcony, looking out at the streets and small buildings below you. The pizza place across from you was seemed pretty empty tonight. There was a group of kids laughing and walking across the empty street, and a couple trolling by. Not a lot of things happening tonight. It seemed like that for you too. You didn't really feel like playing today.

Sighing, you turned around and walked over to the piano, where you left your guitar case standing by the wall beside it. There was a small tune in your head, and looking down at the shiny keys, you wanted so badly to sit down and write something. But you had to be at the nightclub by 9:30. You glanced over to the door, and then back at the piano. Then at the clock on the wall, then back at the piano. You had ten minutes to get there.

"Fuck this," you said out loud, quickly pulling out your phone, putting it on top of the piano, and sitting down at the stool. "Just a demo, just a demo," you whispered to yourself. You pressed the red button to record on your phone and started slow with a simple chord progression. You started humming the tune in your head and kept playing softly. Once you already had a basic idea of the melody, you made up a few lyrics that sounded okay-ish to you.

 _"Nothing_  
seems to  
be what it  
really is...

 _Never_  
in my life  
would I have dreamed  
of this...-"

You would have continued, but your phone buzzed with three new text messages. Sighing, you pressed the stop button to stop recording and opened up the chat. It was Mettaton. Your heart skipped a beat. You mentally kicked yourself for it.

_____________

 **Mettaton:**  
Hey darling ;)

I just wanted to wish you the best today

Sorry that I can't go though

 **You:**  
It's alright. Thanks.

**Mettaton is typing...**

**Mettaton:**

Alright. Just think of me while you're up there, and you'll feel better ;)

have fun darling xoxo

 **You:**  
*thumbs up emoji*

_____________

You blushed. Even through text, he managed to make you flustered. All those "darling"s were killing you. You wondered if he was doing that on purpose for a second, but then remembered that this is how he talks to everybody. _What a flirt_ , you thought, shaking your head. You hurriedly stood up from the piano, grabbed your guitar, slung your bag over your shoulder, and went out the door.

Luckily, Circus was not far away from your place, so you got there right on time. When you first arrived, some of the employees who knew you from your previous gigs greeted you. You kindly greeted them back and returned their warms smiles as you walked over to the stage at the end of the room and set up your stuff. Once you were ready, you looked out to the scattered audience, your hopeful eyes searching all over the place. Besides the few employees at the club, you didn't spot any familiar faces. Sighing softly, you spoke into the microphone.

"Good evening, everyone," you said warmly, introduced yourself, and smiled at the scattered crowd around you, "I have a few songs for you tonight. So, I hope you enjoy! Have fun!" You smiled softly at the few cheers and claps and began with the first song.

All through the song, you were looking all around the room. You knew he said he wouldn't be there, that he was really busy, that he couldn't make it, so why were your eyes darting all over the place?

You ended the song, and your small audience applauded calmly. You thanked them with a warm smile and continued with the show, your eyes never ceasing to scan the room for a familiar face. Midway though the fourth song, you gave up and decided to forget about it. That's when a tall figure with long, dark-blue hair, shades, a black leather jacket, and sleek black boots burst through the doors of the place and made their way to one of the front tables. No one batted an eye, except for the few people he accidentally pushed on his way over to the front.

You looked down at the stranger sitting casually at the table in front of you, and a rush of excitement filled your whole being as you smiled widely, recognizing his features beneath his disguise. You almost laughed, but you were in the middle of a rather loud, angsty song about bad childhood memories. None of them mattered to you to you right now though. Right now, all you could think about was him. And that bothered you greatly. But at the same time, you loved it, in some masochistic way. You went on with the show, feeling quite alive. More than you usually did when you sang.

The place gradually began to fill with cheerful, free-spirited people, both monsters and humans. Some enjoyed a couple drinks at the bar on the left side, some hit the dance floor and danced to your own songs, which you were very happy about, and some sat at the tables around the place, talking and laughing and having the time of their lives, enjoying your deep, lively music. You weren't much for social interaction, but this was the one and only great exception. You loved that connection between you and your audience. That deep, unspoken intimacy that made everyone's hearts beat in sync with the melody. Somehow, sharing all your riddled, deepest, darkest secrets and past experiences with strangers made you feel a bit more human. You rarely spoke about them, so by singing about them you felt like part of you was healing. And by singing about them, you knew you weren't alone, judging by the reactions of some people. But your favorite part was the smiles you painted across their faces. You knew that, for at least a couple hours, their sorrows would be forgotten. You knew yours were.

After a short two hours, it was over. You happily thanked your loving, semi-drunk audience and left the stage. You made your way over to the table right in front, and found that there was nobody there. Furrowing your brow, you scanned your surroundings, when suddenly, two gloved hands blocked your view from behind.

"Guess who?" the unmistakeable robotic voice muttered close to your ear. A shiver went down your spine.

You laughed softly. "Um...Lady Gaga?" you teased.

"No...but close," you heard him chuckle.

You couldn't help but smile. "Metta-"

Suddenly, he moved his hands down to cover your mouth. "Shh! They're not supposed to know," he muttered with a smile in his voice, and then swiftly turned you around so you were facing him. His widespread smile made your knees weak. "Surprise," he said your name.

"I thought you wouldn't be here! Oh gosh, what are you doing here?" You couldn't help but smile brightly.

"Well, I finished just in time, so I decided to come and relax for a while," he smirked.

You chuckled softly, "W..what are you wearing though?" you looked up at his long, flowing, blue wig with the side bangs covering the right side of his face, and his sleek jacket. He had taken off his shades and put them away apparently.

"It's my disguise, so no one recognizes me," he spoke in a low voice.

"Well, doesn't seem to be working very well, cuz I recognized you the moment you came in," you snickered.

"That's probably because you got me memorized by now, by how much you look at me," he smirked.

Your face went red, "I do not!" you exclaimed in defense.

He gave you a shit-eating grin, "You know you do," he laughed to himself.

"No, I don't."

"Why deny it, darling? You know I'm gorgeous," his grin glimmered.

You huffed out in annoyance. "You just can't get enough of yourself, can you?" you said, shaking your head in disapproval.

"Oh, darling. Can you really blame me?" he said smugly as he struck a dramatic pose and gazed deep into your eyes.

Your lips twisted into a sardonic smile, "I'll see you later," you said dryly and turned around to leave.

"W-w-wait!" he called out behind you, stuttering a bit. You quickened your pace, but before you knew it, his arm was coiled around your waist in a tight grasp and you were face to face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to anger you, darling," he apologized with a sincere look on his face.

Realizing one of his arms was literally around you, twice, and looking up at his apologetic face, you blushed violently, but frowned slightly to not seem like all your anger had totally just melted away. "Uh...okay. Just. Let go of me, please," you said in a stern tone.

Immediately, he uncoiled his arm from your waist. "Sorry," he muttered. He paused for a second and offered you a small smile. "Hey. You were absolutely fantastic tonight, darling," he said, looking down at you with a dashing smile upon his lit up face.

Your cheeks felt hot again. "Thanks," you said in a small voice and smiled timidly, looking away.

"I mean it. Your performance today completely blew me away. I could feel the emotion through the vibrations in the air," he said in a dramatic voice, continuing with the flattery, making you blush harder.

You laughed softly at the dramatic way in which he expressed himself. "Thanks. I did feel pretty good today," you smiled.

"Was it because I was here?" he smirked.

Your smile fell and was replaced by a glare. "Yes. Absolutely," you answered in a sarcastic tone.

"Darling, I'm just teasing you," he laughed.

"Kay," You sighed and softened your expression, offering a small smile.

He grinned at you softly and reached down to place a stray strand of hair behind your ear, making your shiver slightly at the touch. "Hey. How about we get a couple drinks?"

You shook your head, "I don't feel like drinking right now, thanks."

"Not even a lemonade or something?" He raised his brow.

"Um...well, yeah I guess I could go for something like that," you smiled softly.

"Let's go then," He grinned and suddenly grasped your wrist as he led you over to the bar.

"Um, I can walk over there by myself, you know?" you said teasingly.

"I'm sure you can. I just don't want to lose you among the crowd," he replied, looking down at you with a sweet smile. You met his gaze, and your stomach somersaulted. You cursed to yourself silently.

As you approached the bar, he put his shades back on and ordered two soft drinks, which were given to him almost immediately by an octopus-like bartender. He grabbed the drinks and turned to you.

"Here you go, darling," he said, handing you your drink.

"Thanks," you smiled softly at him.

He looked around uncomfortably for a second. "I think...it's best if we go sit somewhere less crowded," he said. "How about over there, in the other corner?" He pointed at it. "There's an empty booth table."

"Sure, let's go," you said, following him to the other end of the room.

He slid into the cushioned seat, crossing his legs and taking a sip from his drink. You put your stuff on the other seat and sat on the spot beside him.

"So, did you miss me during this whole time you didn't get to see me?" He asked with that ever-present smirk on his face, leaning slightly closer.

"Why? Did _you_ miss _me_?" You retorted with a playful smile on your face as you took a sip from your drink.

He lowered his shades so he could glance straight into your eyes. "Absolutely," he smirked, sliding his shades off and putting them away into one of the pockets of his jacket.

Your face went red and all you could do was chug down almost half of your drink. He chuckled softly at your flustered reaction.

"Don't laugh at me," you frowned slightly, protesting.

"Oh, darling. I can't help it. If you saw yourself from my perspective, you would laugh too," he laughed softly.

"Are you saying I'm laughable?" You raised your brow, feeling slightly offended.

"No!" his smile faded, "What I meant by that is...it's just really cute when you blush," he offered you a small, timid grin. Now, that's an expression you never expected of him.

Your cheeks heated up like a teapot and you couldn't help but let a smile escape the corners of your lips as you looked down in embarrassment.

"Th-thanks..? I guess..." You chuckled nervously. He chuckled too, and took a few sips from his drink.

You sat in silence for a moment, sipping from your drink and looking around the crowded room. You watched the people dancing on the dance floor in the middle of the room, the colorful lights flashing, the people laughing. The music drummed in your ears.

"So, have you written any new songs lately?" he asked casually, catching your attention once again.

"I was actually trying to write one earlier today, yeah."

"Oh? What is it about?"

"I have no idea yet, honestly. I just had the melody stuck in my head, so I kinda tried to record a rough idea thing on my phone before coming here."

"Can I listen to it?" he grinned widely.

"NO." You blurted out. "I-I mean, it's just a really rough kind of thing, and the few lyrics are just...I don't know...It's just not good yet," you muttered.

"I'm sure it's fantastic anyway," he smiled gently at you.

You shook your head. "No, really, you do not wanna listen to this, I swear."

"I do," he chuckled.

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes," he smirked, leaning slightly closer into your face. He was inches away. You felt your cheeks grow hot again as he stared deep into your eyes.

"Fine," you sighed and took your phone out of your pocket without looking away. You only broke eye contact when you looked down to look for the recording from earlier today. "Here. Just press play and-"

"I got it," he said as he suddenly slid his hand under yours and brought it up to his ear, reaching up with his thumb to press the red button on the screen. Heat shot through your whole face. Your heart raced. He looked down at you with the sweetest smile as he listened to your recording and you suddenly felt like your stomach was filled with a thousand butterflies. You mentally cursed at yourself. You didn't want to feel this way. You didn't. You know how it ends. You know how dangerous it is. You know the risk. But it was like quicksand. You were slowly sinking, and you couldn't help yourself.

When he finished listening, he gently put down your hand with the phone and leaned down, hovering his lips millimeters from your ear.

"It's beautiful. I love the sweet melody," he murmured softly. The tingling sensation gave you goosebumps on your arms and back.

"Thanks," you muttered, blushing bright red.

"I have a question though," he said, moving away from your ear, "what do you mean by 'Never in my life would I have dreamed of this'? What is it you never would have dreamed of?" he raised a curious metallic brow.

You shrugged, "Dunno. I just make up lyrics as I go and hope it sounds good," you chuckled slightly.

His grin told you he knew better, but he refrained from asking any further. "Alright, if you say so, darling."

You smiled timidly and looked down at your empty glass. When had you finished it?

"Do you want another one?" he asked, following your gaze.

You looked up again. "Hm? No, it's fine, thanks," you smiled softly.

"Alright," he said as he took his own glass and finished the last bit and put it back down. "Do you like dancing?" he asked suddenly.

"Uh...N-no, I mean...not in public," you let out a nervous laugh.

"Why not? No one is watching you. Everyone's minding their own business," He flashed a smile at you. "Wanna give it a try?"

You clenched your jaw tightly and shook your head vigorously.

"C'mon, it'll be fun. I'm a great dancer, just follow my lead."

You looked over at the dance floor and gulped.

"Just pretend you're on stage, and you're making music with every step. Just follow the rhythm, and let yourself go, like you do up there. It's not very different."

You thought about it for a moment. Taking a deep breath, you stood up. "Kay. Let's go then," you said, looking back at him.

He flashed another bright smile at you and stood up immediately, did a fabulous twirl and grabbed your wrist, walking with you over to the dance floor.

"Alright, just remember what I told you," he grinned down at you reassuringly.

You nodded nervously, quickly glancing around you at the mass of dancing strangers. You bit your lip as you looked down at the hand holding your wrist and then back up at him. He smiled gently and took a step closer to you.

"Just let go, darling," he said as he began moving at the rhythm of the current song. He rolled his hips along with the beat and moved his arms accordingly. You stood there, petrified. Without missing a beat, he reached down for your other hand and intertwined them together, Slowly pulling you closer.

"Pretend this is your stage, and each move is a strum of your guitar," he said, trying to make you loosen up.

You took a deep breath and started trying to follow his lead. He wasn't just boasting, after all. He was actually a really good dancer.

"That's right! See, you got it," He smiled down at you.

You allowed a small smile to form on your lips and tried to mimic his movements. After a while, you were finally starting to get the hang of it. Suddenly, he twirled you around and dipped you.

"Flawless, darling," his eyes glowed brightly in the low light as his gaze penetrated into the core of your eyes, before he pulled you up to stand up straight again.

You blushed deeply and let out a small chuckle, continuing to follow his lead on the dance floor. Together, you danced to the upbeat music, your feet in perfect sync to the beat of your heart. As the song progressed, you felt more relaxed, letting his movements guide yours as your bodies became one with the music. Your gazes remained locked. His dazzling smile made your eyes light up and your lips curl into a smile. Suddenly, a bunch of tiny, sparkling stars appeared in his visible eye.

He turned swiftly, and caught your hands in his again, continuing to lead you along with the music. There was a slight harshness to him, like someone who shouldn't be underestimated. But at the same time, he was gentle with you, allowing you to catch up with him and adapting to your movements too. Your heart beat faster by the second, and his inner fans whirred loudly, but none of you showed any signs of stopping any time soon.

Mettaton guided you across the dance floor, twirling you around a couple times and keeping every movement in perfect sync with yours. He kept his eyes on you the whole time, but somehow, he was graceful enough to never bump into anyone else. Every movement, every breath, every heartbeat was in perfect tune. You didn't feel forced at all anymore. You had let yourself go, and for a moment you felt like you were floating.

You chuckled nervously, "Oh gosh, everyone's looking at us," you muttered.

Mettaton squeezed your hand gently and smiled wider. "Really? I had not noticed," he chuckled.

Your stomach's butterflies fluttered wildly.  
  
In this precise moment, all of your worries washed away. Your pain, your anguish, your traumas, the people who have hurt you, none of that mattered right now. The only things in your mind at the moment were his captivating gaze, the energetic, yet gentle way in which he guided you around the dance floor, and the drumming of your heartbeat against your chest, beating loudly like the booming sounds of the speakers. You had no clue of how long you had been dancing, but as people started leaving gradually, you got a rough idea. As you finished this last song, you felt completely out of breath, with sweat dripping down your back. Your gaze still locked with his, and your hands still intertwined, you stood there, wide-eyed, panting, motionless, and speechless.

His lips curled into a wide smile. "Darling, that was absolutely amazing!" he squeezed your hands gently and finally let go of them.

Your heart was in your throat. "Thanks," you smiled up at him, still catching your breath.

"Do you wanna keep dancing? I could be here all night," he smirked.

You chuckled. "Sure."

He reached out for your hands again and spun you around, starting yet another song. You kept dancing round and round, feeling a rush of dopamine run through every vein in your body. His gaze was completely focused on you, your heart was racing at the speed of sound. You responded to his every movement as best as you could, trying to keep up with his skills, but at the same time, you were loosing yourself in the music and the dance. Nothing in the world could stop you now.

Except maybe one thing.

Suddenly, he made a harsh, swift movement with his head as he made a dramatic dance move, which accidentally caused his wig to detach from his head and sent it flying across the room, landing far from where you stood. His head spun in that direction in panic, and turned to you with an alarmed gaze. You gasped loudly, but had no time react, because immediately, people were already crowding around him, screaming his name, making their way to him, rudely pushing you further and further away.

 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! 
> 
> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think. i really appreciate your feedback. Like seriously. It means a lot. So, thank you to everyone who keeps commenting and reading my stuff. 
> 
> Love you all, take care, drink lots of water, pet a cat, laugh a lot <3
> 
> -Xander


	12. Emotional

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am alive! Just a fair warning: I am a jerk and I apologize in advance for this awful chapter, though I'm not one bit sorry :)  
> Enjoy ^_^

*Suggested Listening*  
Paparazzi - Lady Gaga  
Treacherous - Taylor Swift  
Broad-Shouldered Beasts - Kings of Leon

  
"METTATON!"

"Oh my god, it's him!"

"Mettaton! Mettaton! Can I get a selfie with you?!"

"Oh gosh, can I get your autograph?!"

"Mettaton! I love you!!"

"Mettaton!"

"METTATON!!!"

Everyone was shouting and screaming and making their way to him, cameras flashing everywhere, people rudely pushing and shoving you to the back of the crowd. Recovering from your shock, you rushed to the corner of the room to get your stuff and ran to the door. You put on the hood of your jacket and looked back at Mettaton, motioning for him to come over.

Mettaton kept his wild gaze on you, trying to move them aside, struggling to make his way to you. "I'm sorry, my darlings. Not today," he apologized briefly as he managed to finally escape from the circle of screaming fans he had been entrapped in. He rushed to your side and together you ran down the street as fast as you could. Your ears buzzed with the loud commotion behind you. Your blood turned cold.

"Down here, follow me," you called as you ran down an empty alleyway. There, you pulled him towards the shadows, behind a dumpster, and pressed yourself against the wall. You heard the screaming crowd running down the street, straight up. Good. You lost them. Catching your breath, you let a few seconds pass before cautiously coming out of the hiding spot and walking towards were you came from. To your misfortune, some fans had fallen behind and they spotted you both. They yelled his name and began chasing after him.

You cursed under your breath and turned back, running deeper into the long alley, leading him to the other end of the street, where you turned right and sprinted off, going back towards the other end of the street. The loud screams were growing closer. Your eyes widened.

"My car's two blocks from here. In the second floor of the parking garage right across the club. Just a bit more," you called between your heavy panting as you ran.  
  
He chuckled. "Oh? Where are you taking us?" he teased.

"Not right now, Mettaton," you groaned.

He laughed and kept running beside you until you reached the corner of the street and went right, circling the block and going back towards the club. You surveyed your surroundings, making sure there were no crazed fans in view. Coast Clear.

"Alright, let's go," you made your way across the street towards the four-story building.

Once there, you sprinted up the stairs and walked rapidly to your car with him at your heels. When you got there, you collapsed against the door on the left, panting heavily and sweating like never before. Mettaton's internal fans were whirring quite loudly, but besides that, he looked just fine, in perfect condition. You were a mess.

"Darling? Darling! What's wrong? D-don't die, please don't die," Mettaton said, sounding genuinely scared.

Despite your exhaustion, you couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I'm not dying, Mettaton. I'm just really tired from all that running," you said between laughs.

"Oh! I...I knew that. Of course I knew that," he lied. "I was just...adding a dramatic effect," he exclaimed.

"Sure," you snickered and lifted yourself up again. You grabbed your keys to unlock the car and opened your door. "C'mon, get inside," you said, sliding into the driver's seat and throwing your stuff into the backseat.

He went over to the other side and opened the door. "Are you sure about this? I could call my chauffeur."

"If you want your fans to find you and get swarmed by them again, by all means, go ahead," you chuckled.

He stood there for a moment, thinking about it.

"Well, are you coming or not?"

He sighed and finally got inside. "Alright, but just this time," he said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Sure, sure," you replied as you started the car. You drove down the spiral ramp and out into the streets.

You drove in silence, enjoying the solitude of the night. There were barely any other cars. The only sound was the low hum of the engine and the occasional drumming sound of upbeat music in some place you passed by. You struggled to keep your drowsy eyes focused on the road, but you managed.

"Crazy night, huh?" he said after a while.

You chuckled in response, "Yeah."

"It was amazing, though," he said, smiling gently.

"Yeah, it really was," you couldn't help but smile too. "You're a great dancer."

"I know," he smirked.

You rolled your eyes.

"You were pretty good too, though."

You briefly glanced at him. "Th-thanks," you blushed softly.

You kept driving in silence for the rest of the way, until you reached the hotel, where you parked your car by the entrance.

"Kay, we're here," you said.

"Thanks darling," he smiled, "It was a lot of fun."

"Yeah," you smiled back at him. You met his gaze and the butterflies fluttered.

As if that wasn't enough, he slowly leaned over and muttered softly into your ear, "I'll see you there again on Thursday, okay?"

Part of you had a raging urge to simply grab the front of his jacket and pull him into a k-

Hold on. No. No, no, no, no. Nononononononononono. NO. You shook it off your mind immediately. Somehow you had managed to keep a neutral expression.

"Y-you'll be there?" You asked, your face becoming bright red.

"Of course, darling," he flashed a smile.

"Okay," you smiled back shyly.

"Have a goodnight," he said as he opened the door.

"Thanks. You too."

"Goodbye, sunshine," he said in a sing-song voice, flashing another gorgeous smile and stepping out of the car, before closing it carefully.

You waved at him as you melted inside. He smiled, waving back. You finally tore your eyes away from him, started the car, and drove off.

For the second night in a row, you found yourself lying on your bed, wide awake in the wee hours of the night, thinking about a glamorous robot who had managed to turn your whole life upside-down in the blink of an eye. You hated his guts for it, and you hated the way he looked at you, and you hated his smile, and you hated his voice, and you hated the way he called you all those endearing names, and you hated the way you had so much fun with him, and you hated the way he made you forget about absolutely every awful thing that had ever happened to you. But you also loved it with every inch of your heart, and it was the most tormenting thing ever.

You loved spending time with him. There was no doubt. You had merely hung out three times, but already, you felt like you had known him for such a long time. Maybe it was the way he enraptured you in his world. The way he lived to the fullest, without regret, without a stoplight. The way he seemed to not be afraid of anything. It captivated you. And even when he was talking about the most mundane things, like his cousin's favorite T.V. Show, or the day he went shopping with Alphys to that-new-expensive-designer-clothes-boutique, you found yourself captivated by every word he said. He spoke so passionately about everything. He was so full of life, and that made you feel alive too somehow.

Your thoughts were in a battle, torn between every amazing moment in the past 48 hours and the warning sirens flashing at the back of your mind. You couldn't do this. You couldn't fall for a star. He was everybody's and no one's all at once. Trying to keep up with him would be hell. You couldn't keep this game going on. It was going to wreck you. Trusting someone so dangerous to love was illegal. You'd just get yourself hurt, and no one would be there to save you then, as you have previously learned. It was a lesson you had memorized since the early days of your childhood. It was like a law. Breaking it would bring consequences.

But how could that be, if he made you...oh so happy? How could you take him off your mind, when he was the one taking your darkest thoughts away and replacing them with smiles and music and adrenaline?

You fell asleep thinking of the one thing on your mind you did not want to admit. Not even to yourself. Every cell in your body was fighting it, but you knew you were already losing. Even in the darkness of the night, it was clear as day and it burnt bright at the very front of your mind. And when you opened your eyes in the morning light, the first thing that you remembered was the glow of his gaze as he looked deep into your soul.

Never in your life have you felt like this before, and you didn't know how to feel about it. All you knew was you wanted more. Even if you didn't.

☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆

You got home, tired from six long hours of work. Not that you didn't like the kids, or teaching music, but you needed to recover your energies. You hadn't eaten anything since the morning. The first thing you did, as usual, was to plop down on your bed and pretend to not exist for a while. This was the routine. Except this time, something was different. Instead of your usual gloomy, nightmarish thoughts, your mind was replaying yesterday's events.

Suddenly, you felt your phone buzzing in your pocket. You groaned as you pulled it out and picked up the call.

"Hey, Sans, what's up?" you asked lazily.

"Hey. I'm on my way with takeout. I'll be there in a few," he said casually.

You sighed audibly. "You're right outside, aren't you...?"

He chuckled softly. "knock-knock."

"You and your darn shortcuts," You grumbled and hung up. "Sans, just come in," you called out.

"Knock-knock," he said again, chuckling to himself.

You begrudgingly got up and walked over to the door to let him in. "Hey lazy bones," you teased him.

"Bone-jour," he said, greeting you with a wide-spread smirk as he walked in.

You rolled your eyes. "What are you doing here anyway?" you chuckled as you closed the door.

"Thought you could use some company," he smiled, setting down the noodle boxes on the coffee table in front of the couch.

You smiled softly. Sans was like an older brother to you. He annoyed the hell out of you sometimes, but he was always there for you.

"Thanks, man," you said, sitting down at the couch beside him.

"No problem," he grinned, handing you your food.

"Wanna keep marathoning that series we were watching the other day?" you asked, reaching for the controller and looking it up on Netflix.

"Sure," he nodded, with his mouth full.

"Kay," you said, hitting play on the episode you left off.

You ate in comfortable silence for a moment, enjoying the food and the entertaining drama on the screen of your television.

"So how have you been?" Sans asked after a while.

"Fine, how about you?" you replied calmly.

"Pretty good," he said. "So...Mettaton huh?" he smirked at you.

You eyed him cautiously. "What about him?" you asked a little nervously.

"I don't know, you tell me," he chuckled softly.

"Sans..." you sighed, getting a bit irritated. He just chuckled again in reply. "What do you know?" you asked warily.

"A few things...maybe. Maybe not," he smirked.

You sighed again. "How do you even find these things out? Geez,"

"I don't know. I guess I just feel it in my bones," he chuckled softly.

You face palmed. "Alright, fine. So, what you said last week actually fucking happened, thank you so much for the warning," you said in a sarcastic tone. He laughed. "And then he kept showing up. Anyway...long story short, he offered me a record deal, and today I signed with his label. There. Happy now?" you raised an eyebrow at him, smiling slightly.

"That's awesome and all, but that's not all there is to it, is it?" he smiled playfully.

You blushed slightly, "I-I have no idea what you're talking about," you lied, looking away from him.

"Have you seen the news lately?" he asked suddenly.

"Uh...no...why..." you eyed him suspiciously.

His usual grin only widened.

"Sans."

He chuckled.

"Sans!"

He pulled out his phone and started looking for something. "Here. Take a look."

You grabbed the phone and stared at the picture on the screen with the headline "Robot Diva Goes Out With His Secret Lover." Your eyes widened. There in the picture was him running across a dimly lit sidewalk, with a hooded person running beside him. The picture was taken from the back, so there were no faces. But that was obviously him. And that was you, beside him. You kept scrolling down to read the article.  
_______

Heartthrob Mettaton, everyone's favorite glambot diva, was spotted last night at Circus, a small nightclub on Ember Street, with a mysterious companion. Witnesses at the club reported him coming in inconspicuously, wearing a blue wig and dark shades as his disguise. He was accompanied by a human all night long.

Sources claim they danced together for more than two hours without drawing much attention, before his wig accidentally fell off and his identity was revealed. Then, naturally, the robot diva found himself completely surrounded by fans at the club, who had no idea they had been dancing beside him the whole time.

Our robot heartthrob managed to free himself from the circle of fans and escape from the club, along with his mysterious company, who some speculate was his date. The crowd attempted to chase after the robot diva, but him and his mystery date managed to disappear from the scene in no time.

There are still no reports whatsoever as to who this mystery companion of his might be. All we know as of now is they are definitely human. But we hope to be able to dig deeper into this case and have the answer you all want, very soon. Sorry "darling's," it seems that our favorite robot star has found love in someone.

Keep checking our site for more news on your favorite idols!

_______

Your eyes were wide. Your mouth slightly agape. You kept staring at the screen of the phone.

"Hey isn't that the jacket you wore the other night?" Sans asked teasingly.

"I'm not the only one in the world with a jacket like that," you said defensively.

Sans chuckled. "Kid. It's fine if you went out him. I won't judge," he looked at you with a calm expression.

You sighed. "I didn't plan any of it. It was sort of a surprise. He said he wasn't gonna go, but then he just showed up to my gig, and then we ended up having a couple drinks and...dancing for two hours apparently," you looked down at your lap, blushing slightly.

Sans gave you a playful side glance.

Feeling his eyes burning into you, you looked up and glared at him. "What?"

"You like him," he said in a teasing tone.

You looked him in the eyes defyingly. "I DON'T like the robot. Okay?"

He laughed softly. "Relax kid, I'm just messing with you," he said calmly. "By the way, congrats on the record deal thing! I'm really proud of you. You're making a lot of progress," he smiled genuinely at you.

"Thanks," you smiled back at him.

"Just don't let it go your head," he teased.

You snickered. "I'm not like that, you know that," you smiled slightly.

A moment later, your phone buzzed. You took it out of your pocket and opened up the text chat. It was Caitlyn, telling you she was free tomorrow night and asking you if she could go watch you perform at Circus. Strange. She almost never had time for your gigs. You wondered why she suddenly wanted to go. Maybe she felt bad for the recent fight? Anyway, you told her it was okay, and put your phone away. Sans looked at you curiously.

"Caitlyn asked me if she could go to Circus tomorrow to watch me play," you explained. "It's a bit strange though. She never really has time for that. Or wants to, anyway," you said with a shrug, more to your yourself than to him. You looked down at your empty noodle box and absently put it on the coffee table, briefly thinking about your recent fight. You suddenly gasped, remembering what she made you promise.  
"She'll be furious with me again," you muttered in a shaky voice. "She's gonna yell at me and call me a traitor and-"

"Whoa, whoa, bud. Easy there," Sans said in a gentle tone, putting a reassuring hand on your shoulder. "What's the matter?" He asked concerned.

You took a deep breath to try to calm yourself a bit. "Okay so. That night Mettaton told me about the record deal, we went to this luxury bar. One that happens to be one of Caitlyn's hang outs. And...we ran into her. She got angry at me cuz I didn't tell her about 'going out' with Mettaton, so...you know how it is when she gets mad..." you sighed. "But then I explained to her what had actually happened, and she was all like 'Oh my god I'm so sorry!' and stuff. But she also made me promise that I'd invite her next time I hung out with him, if that ever happened again."

"So?"

"I...well, I did hang out with him, and I didn't tell her. But it was just spontaneous. Like, I didn't plan it at all. None of the two times. I didn't know last night would go like that. I didn't know we'd eat lunch at Paolo's after signing-"

"Holy shit, Paolo's?" he interrupted.

"Yeah, I know," You chuckled softly. "So anyway...yeah..." you sighed in a shaky breath, absently running a slightly trembling hand through your hair. "I...I forgot. Like, I didn't mean t- I really didn't...I was..she's gonna kill me," you muttered, barely coherently.

"You know..." he began, "I know it's none of my business, but. You should stop letting her have so much control over you. You're your own person. You don't have to do everything she says, you don't owe her anything," he said in a soft, yet stern voice.

You shook your head, frowning slightly. "You don't get it. I DO owe her a lot. Like a LOT. I probably wouldn't even be where I am now without her, do you understand that? She payed for my rehab for chrissake! Like, if she hadn't been there for me I could literally be dead right now, Sans," you said bluntly, without pauses, raising your voice gradually. "But she was the only one at the time who cared enough to not let me die. She saved me...because of her I got a second chance at life...even if it means more suffering and hopelessness under her command, I'm willing to take it. I can't keep losing..." you trailed off, tears welling up in your eyes, the past coming back to you in flashbacks. Her horrified face...Your own bloody limbs...blacking out on the way to the ER...

Sans slowly put his arm around your shoulder, and gently brought you closer into a soft embrace. You cuddled into his chest, letting him comfort you. You cried silently, hiding your face in his shirt, deeply ashamed of yourself.

"Hey...it's okay...you're okay now, buddy," He said in a gentle tone as he rubbed your back. "You'll be okay..."

"No, I won't," you whispered through a tight throat. "Even now, after a whole year and a half out of fucking rehab, I'm still not okay. I'll never be okay," you said between shaky breaths.

"Yes, you will. You will, I-" he paused for a moment. "I promise. You're greatly talented, and now that you got a record deal, you have an amazing chance to grow, and lots of people will listen to your songs, and you'll inspire millions. And you still have me. And Papyrus, and Toriel, and Frisk. We're your family now. Forget about your old one. Forget about High School. Forget about everyone who has hurt you. Think of what you have now. Think of what you can do with it. You're a rockstar," he snuggled you closer. "I care for you a lot, kid. You know that," he muttered, holding you close. It took a while, but your tears began to cease after some time. Your breathing became even again.

"I'm sorry..." you whispered, still curled into a ball in his arms.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he said gently as he rubbed your back. You finally stretched out your legs and sat up again, but he still kept a reassuring arm around you.

"I'm sorry," you repeated.

He shook his head. "Don't be," he offered you a small smile. You smiled back at him softly.

"Thanks, Sans," you muttered in a coarse voice.

"No problem," He squeezed your shoulder lightly. You looked down at your lap again. You hated crying in front of people, even if it was your best friend. Nonetheless, having someone you trust holding you made it a little better. Sans muttered your name in a concerned voice after a moment.

"Yeah?" you looked up.

"I know your thing with her is complicated and all, but..." his pupils disappeared ominously, "please take care of yourself, kid. Be careful with her."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That poor tortured soul...it gets better I promise hehe. If I ever get to that part, that is. Anyway, sorry to keep you waiting so long. I have a busy life. But I hope you liked it. 
> 
> Please let me know if you actually want me to continue this story or if no one's really interested anymore, that's fine too :) if at least 3 people say yes, then I'll continue, albeit slowly since I don't really have much time to spare. Music comes first ;) 
> 
> Alright, see ya xx


	13. Panic! At The Disco

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, at your request, I have continued this lame story because I love you <3  
> ...Although you'll probably hate my guts by the end of this chapter lol
> 
> Enjoy! ^_^ 
> 
> Warnings: strong language, suicide mention, anxiety attack

Suggested Listening:  
I Want To Know What Love Is - Foreigner  
Poison - Alice Cooper  
She Hates Me - Puddle Of Mudd

Thursday night, you were loosing your mind over the possibility of Caitlyn getting angry at you and causing a dramatic scene again. You had called Sans to try to get your mind off of it. But it wasn't working.

"Sans. Sans, I can't do this, man. I can't-"

"Kid. You'll be alright. Don't worry about it," he said reassuringly. "C'mon. Where's your punk rock attitude now?" he teased, trying to lighten your mood.

You sighed. "Went for a walk, probably," you joked without any humor in your voice.

Sans chuckled anyway.

"So, are you sure you can't come?" You asked, holding the phone with one hand and slipping your shoes on with the other, as you got ready to leave.

"Yeah, I'm sorry kid. You know I'd love to, but I told Papyrus I'd be home early today. He was really excited to watch the new episode of Steve Galaxy with me. I'll try to make it tomorrow though. It'll be me, Papyrus, and you. Sounds good?"

"Sure...no problem..."

"Alright. Have a great show, okay? And remember what I told you yesterday," he said in a serious tone.

You paused for a moment. "Okay," you muttered.

"Okay. I'll see ya around. Have fun tonight. Bye," he said cheerfully.

"Thanks, Sans. Bye," you replied, smiling slightly, and hung up.

You decided to walk to the club today, since your car was low on gas and it was still quite early anyway. You could have taken the subway, but you wanted to enjoy the starlit night on your way there. Halfway there you figured out you couldn't though. Your mind was too busy buzzing with tormenting thoughts.

When you got to Circus, a couple of the employees greeted you as always. You faked a smile, but inside, you felt like your own stomach was violently eating itself. Your eyes surveyed the room anxiously. There weren't many people yet. No familiar faces either. Good.

There were still a few minutes till 9:30, so you decided to get yourself a soft drink at the bar to try to soothe your nervousness. Suddenly, someone tapped your shoulder. You gasped and spun around on your seat.

"Hey, sunshine," he said in a low tone, so no one would hear a thing but you.

"Gosh, you scared me!" you muttered between your teeth. Your heartbeat sped up, but it wasn't because of that. It was because of him.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled, sitting down on the seat beside you.

You smiled as you leaned in a bit closer. "I like your new disguise," you whispered. He wore a platinum blonde wig with large bangs that covered half his face, a glittery, bright purple jacket, and boots that matched it.

"Thanks, darling," he smirked and flipped his hair back with a hand.

"You're like a reverse Hannah Montana kinda thing now," you laughed.

"What is a Hannah Montana?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh, it used to be a kids show about an average high school girl who was also part-time pop-star," you explained.

"Oh, I get it now," he chuckled softly.

You smiled at him and finished the last bit of your drink. "Hey, uh. I gotta start now, so, I'll see you later?" you said, getting up.

"Alright, I'll be right at the front," he grinned, standing up as well.

"Kay," you smiled softly and headed over to the stage.

You didn't have as much trouble playing as you thought you would. Your nerves did die down a bit, just enough to let you concentrate on the music, but keep you alert at the same time. Nonetheless, you had fun. Your audience enjoyed your sound, you kept the club alive, and it was awesome. When it ended, you half-ran towards that front table, just to find nobody. Again. But he had been there, not ten minutes ago? You had been glancing at him from time to time from the stage. Where was he? You started panicking for half a second, thinking that maybe he changed his mind and now he hated your songs and your awful singing voice and the way you play and he never wanted to see you again and you almost started hyperventilating because on top of your problem with Caitlyn now you were gonna lose your record deal and him and-

Out of the blue, two metallic arms coiled around your waist from behind, lifted you up and spun you around. You squealed in fear and surprise. He put you down and turned you around so you would face him.

"That was amazing, darling," Mettaton smiled brightly at you.

Your eyes were still wide.

His smile faded. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing, sorry," you said dismissively, erasing your slightly frightened expression from your face. "I just thought you had left for a second."

"And miss out on your beautiful performance? Darling, I wouldn't do that," he reassured you with an all-too-white smile.

You grinned softly.

"Come. I'll get you a drink, okay?" he said, offering you his hand.

You nodded as you took his hand shyly, and followed him to the bar.

Twenty minutes later, you were laughing together at some stupid thing and talking about your lives and other nonsense, sitting in the same corner as last time and enjoying a couple drinks.

"So then, Blooky and I decided to surprise her by letting her join our band. She was so happy about it that she wrote a song for us," Mettaton smiled softly and took a sip from his drink.

"Aww, what a sweetheart," you commented.

"Oh, she's a total sweetheart. One of these days you'll meet her," he grinned.

"Yeah, I'd like that," you replied with a soft smile.  
  
"So, anyway. What about you, darling? I've told you a lot about me already. Not that I don't like talking about myself," he chuckled, "but I don't even know where you start," he raised an eyebrow.

"Uh...I. Well...y'know...I..." you took a sip from your drink hesitantly.

"Yes?"

You slowly put down your glass. "I don't really know what to tell you," you answered in a barely audible voice.

"Where did you live before coming here?" he asked casually.

"I told you before. A small town, really far away from here."

"That's a little too vague, dear," he said, giving you a crooked grin.

You sighed. "I don't like to talk about my past," you confessed, looking down at the table in front of you.

"But you sing about it? From what I can tell," he looked at you with a curious expression.

"That's why I can't talk about it."

"Alright. Let's start with something more simple then. What's your favorite thing about this city?"

You thought for a moment. "I can't choose. There's so many..."

"What are they?" he asked in a low voice.

"My cozy apartment," you smiled softly, "The cafe two blocks from there, the park, my best friend's place, Black Birds, friendly strangers, the people who cheer and dance and enjoy at my gigs, the crispy autumn air mixed with the energetic smell of the night, the bright city lights...I don't know. There's so many," you looked up at him with a small grin, your voice starting to sound less wary.

"I like your mind," he said, returning the smile. There was a certain fragility to his gaze, like he had just found and picked up the most precious crystal gem he had ever encountered and was afraid of dropping it.

You chuckled softly. "You don't know my mind."

"But I've seen glimpses of it," his smile grew slightly wider.

You bit down on your bashful smile and looked down at your glass. Suddenly, you felt your phone buzzing violently in your pocket. You quickly pulled it out and almost had a heart attack when you saw the name flashing on the screen.

Caitlyn.

"H-hold on. I gotta get this," you stammered and put the phone up to your ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, dear. I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your gig. I was with Chad, you know, the guy I told you about the other day? We went out for dinner, and I kinda...lost track of time...I hope you don't mind. But, if you're still there, I could go right now? Is that okay?" she asked.

"Uh, sure. That's fine." Well, it's not like you could say no to her. Specially not now.

"Great! I'll be there in a few. See ya!" She blew a fake kiss at the phone and hung up. Your hand was shaking when you lowered your phone.

"Is everything alright?" Mettaton asked.

"Y-yeah. It's just. Remember my friend, Caitlyn?"

"Oh, how could I forget her," he laughed softly.

"W-well, she was supposed to come to my gig today, but she couldn't make it, so she's coming right now."

"Oh, that's great, darling! The more, the merrier," he grinned.

"Yeah, I guess so," you sighed, putting your phone back in your pocket.

"So, anyway. You were telling me?" He smiled softly at you. He propped up his arm on the table and rested his head on his hand.

"Uh..."

"Keep telling me about yourself. Even if it's just the small things," he grinned.

"Oh...uh...I don't know," you muttered, nervously rubbing the back of your neck. "I'm not very social, but I like people-watching. I like going to this small cafe that's close to where I live, and just, I don't know. Be in my own space, reading a book or whatever, but also be around people," you shrugged. "Like I said before, I'm not very interesting," you looked down at your glass.

He placed a gentle finger below your chin and brought your gaze back up. Heat crawled up to your cheeks.

"Darling, please stop saying that," he said in a gentle tone. "I think you're interesting," he smiled softly at you with a glimmer in his eye.

You blushed slightly deeper. "Really?"

"Yes," his smile grew a bit wider.

You bit your lip nervously. Why wasn't he letting go yet? Why was his hand still at your chin? Why did he have to be so darn close? You decided to gently move his hand away, and then looked down, still blushing brightly.

He smiled and took a sip from his drink.

"Why though?" you asked softly.

"Hm? Why what, darling?"

"Why do you think I'm interesting?" you asked, looking up at him again.

"It's probably because...I think...you're one of the most human humans I've ever met. If that makes any sense," he chuckled softly.

Your eyes brightened up a little. The edges of your lips curled into a small smile. "Thanks."

For a moment he stared at your lips, then shifted his gaze back up at your eyes and returned the smile. "Did you know I once created a human fan club?"

You snickered."What?"

"Back when I was...well...not Mettaton," he chuckled.

"Oh?" you raised an eyebrow curiously.

"The only person to show up was my friend, Alphys. That's how we met, and started our friendship," he smiled, remembering.

"So you've been friends for a long time?"

"Yeah...you could say so," he paused for a second. "Things between us were rough for a while, but we're alright now," he looked away from you and took a few sips from his drink. You raised an eyebrow slightly. Seems like you weren't the only one unwilling to talk about the past. He put down his drink and looked back at you. "Anyway, I was telling you about my human fan club," he chuckled.

You nodded.

"You know, deep down, I've always had a strange fascination with humans."

You chuckled. "Why?"

He peered at you, studying your face with fascination for a second. "I don't really know. You humans are just so...complicated. And convoluted. Highly intelligent, but also very dumb sometimes. You were the creators of mass catastrophe, meaning war, but you were also the pioneers of nearly every branch of art, you know, music, acting, illustration, and so many others. You are so simple, yet so complicated. And hide so many things behind your seemingly simple lives, when behind that there's a whole story to tell. You go about your life like it was nothing, yet your eyes tell the stories from your past and everything you've lived through; all the tragic, all the magic, and yet, you simply shrug it off, like one more day is just that. One more day. But you know it's not. And you hide those mysteries inside, like a hidden treasure chest you only open late at night, in the silent screams of your mind. Behind a photogenic smile in front of semi-drunk crowds, or behind the safe walls of your home..." half way through, he had stopped talking about humans as a whole. He was talking about one in specific, and you noticed it. He was looking down at you with a gaze so intense that it pierced through the darkness of your pupils and filled them with fire. He spoke in the most gentle tone, as if reciting poetry, like his words meant more than what your ears could catch. Your nostrils filled with a fresh, sugary scent, and suddenly you noticed how close he was. Closer than he had previously been.

You held your breath unconsciously, and your heart sped up a million times. Was it just you, or was his face literally inches away from yours?

After a short silence, only interrupted by an increasing whirring sound coming from inside him, he whispered your name.

"Yeah?" you muttered, a soft blush appearing on your cheeks.

"Can I tell you something?" he smirked.

You nodded slowly.

"I-"

"Hello, dear! How was your gig tonight?" Caitlyn exclaimed excitedly, suddenly appearing right behind you.

You half jumped, immediately pulling back. You spun around to face her. You felt like your face was boiling hot. "H-hey, Caitlyn. H-how'd you find me?"

"Well, I just figured you'd be in a corner by yourself, like always," she chuckled, "Except...I didn't expect to find anybody else with you?" she said, raising her eyebrow, briefly glancing over at Mettaton as she sat down on the seat in front of you.

"Hello, darling. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Mettaton flashed a smile at her.

She gasped, recognizing is voice. "Oh, my. I certainly did not expect you here," she said with a grin that told you that she totally did. Somehow.

"Well, surprise," he smiled. "But please don't mention it to anybody, we don't want my darling fans around here to go crazy. Or worse, for the paparazzi to know I'm here," he chuckled.

"Don't worry. You're secret is completely safe with me," she smiled. "Nice disguise, by the way."

"Thank you, darling," he smirked.

You sipped from your drink nonchalantly.

"So what brings you here anyway?" she asked.

"Oh, well," he said you name, "told me they were going to play here this week, so I decided to surprise them by showing up. Since they are, well, my new business partner," he smiled down at you.

You forced a weak smile in return, feeling Caitlyn's tension pressing down on you.

"Oh, that's so sweet of you!" she exclaimed.

"Darling, I am the sweetest," he smirked.

"Of course you are," she smiled mischievously. Under the table, unperceived by your eyes, she slowly extended her leg just so it would gently graze his.

His eyes went wide for a split second. "So...anyway...would you like something to drink?" he offered.

"Oh, yes please. I'm," she sighed, "so thirsty," she said dramatically.

You bit your lip to try to hold back the laughter.

"Alright, what would like, dear?"

"A Raspberry Rose Cocktail, please," she smiled sweetly.

"I'll be right back then, darlings," he winked as he stood up and made his way to the bar.

"So," Caitlyn said your name. "How was your gig today?"

"Uh, it was. It was okay," you replied, trying not to sound too nervous.

"Mettaton seems to like your music a lot, doesn't he?" she chuckled.

"Y-yeah, I guess so..." you bit your lip.

"Must be fun huh? Going out with him?" she raised her eyebrow.

"We're not going out, Caitlyn. I told you," you sighed.

"Well, I sure hope so. Because if you were to hide it from me, I'd be really upset," she pouted slightly.

"No. We're not," you shook your head.

She furrowed her brow slightly. "He's really famous, you know?"

"Yeah..."

"And like. He's in the news literally all the time, you know?"

"Of course I know, I don't live under a rock," you snickered.

"Well then, have you checked out his latest news?"

"No, why would I do that? I don't fancy celebrity gossip, and besides, I've been with him nearly all wee-" you stopped, realizing you had just fallen into her trap.

She raised her eyebrow again. "Oh...so this is true then," she pulled out her phone and showed you the picture on the screen with a cheesy headline on it about Mettaton's newest secret love. It was that same picture Sans had shown you.

Your stomach turned and your face felt like it was set aflame. You shook your head vigorously. "N-no, no. We're not dating. He just. He just showed up unexpectedly, I had no idea he was gonna be here on Tuesday."

She looked at you in disbelief. "You know, it's starting to seem like you only want him for yourself," she raised both eyebrows, looking condescending as fuck.

"Lyn. I'm not lying," you tried to defend yourself, but your heart was beating so fast, and you felt like it was pumping poison all over your body.

"That still doesn't take away the fact that you broke your promise," she glared at you.

You gulped.

"You knew how much I wanted to meet him, yet you decided not to tell me anything and keep him all for yourself," she accused.

"No, I-"

"Do you have any idea of how selfish you're being? After all I've done for you, you can't even stop and do this ONE thing for me. No wonder you feel like trash all the time," she spat out.

Silence.

"You're just being blatantly selfish at this point. You didn't even care to tell me he was gonna be here, cuz all you seem to care about now is how famous he'll make you, right? Like, really? Attracting attention when he's with you so you'll be all over the news too? That's low."

"That wasn't on purpose! It was an accident!" You exclaimed.

"Like hell it was! And like, honestly? All you are right now is an attention hoe. Like, I bet he didn't even offer you that contract willingly. You probably like flirted with him or something," she accused.

"I wouldn't do that, and you KNOW that!"

"At this point, I don't even know if I know you anymore. You've changed a lot during these two years. You've become this attention seeking, egocentric asshole, and you can't even see it! Like, you don't even see him as a person, do you? You're just so thirsty, you don't even care what anyone thinks anymore. You're just with him, waiting around for him to fuck you. Without caring about anything else. Not even about your closest friends' feelings. You don't even care about me anymore, do you? I just. I can't believe how selfish you are! Like, honestly. I never expected this from you," she crossed her arms and looked away.

You kept silent for a moment. "Thats not true..." you managed to say through a strained throat.

"Like hell it isn't," she scoffed.

You bit your lip and kept quiet, too enraged to think of something to say.

She looked back at you. "So you're not even going to apologize? How awfully rude can you be?" she shook her head. "Had I known you'd treat me like this, had I known you would ever do this to me, I would have never been so nice to you. I should have left you for dead in that stinky bathroom, covered in blood and reeking of weed." Her voice cracked as a single tear escaped the corner of her eye.

Somewhere in the arctic, there were gargantuan icebergs falling apart, right at this moment. Once sturdy ice castles, they were now nothing more than cracked pieces of frozen glass falling into the ocean in a thunderous disaster. That's how you felt right now. But you were too shocked to cry. You just blankly stared at her, not wanting to believe a single word she had just said. *She didn't mean it, she didn't mean it, she didn't mean it, she didn't mean it, she didn't mean it* you repeated in your head. All while feeling like she had just reopened those lethal scars you had carved on your flesh that day. Your heart was racing, pumping her venomous words through your bloodstream and filling every corner of your brain. Without thinking, you rose up from your seat to leave, but when you did, you bumped into Mettaton, who was back from getting Caitlyn's drink.

"S-sorry," you muttered.

"Oh, hey, darling. Where are you going?" he looked down at you.

"I. I'll just. I'll be right back," you blurted and quickly made your way around him and towards the bathroom.

Fortunately, it was empty. You ran into one of the stalls, locked yourself in, and curled into a ball in one corner, finally letting it all out. Your whole body was shaking. You struggled to breathe right. Your chest tightened, constricting you, and you felt like you were burning inside. Your heart was speeding up, faster and faster and faster, and you were so frightened you thought you'd die. Part of you wished that would happen.

You knew you deserved this, though. You thought about everything she said, every poisonous word she said, the daggers in her usually bright, lively eyes. You did that to her. You made her become something she is not. She was mean to you because you were pathetic and a total fuckup and you hurt her and you deserved all of this. You knew she was right about you. You swallowed every word she said. She had given you so much, yet you were just an ungrateful fuckup who never got over their selfish little issues. She was right. She was right about all of it, wasn't she? You deserved feeling like garbage. You would never achieve anything, all because you couldn't stop being selfish and you couldn't stop feeling sorry for yourself all the time, instead of thinking of others. You were a pathetic loser. You had always been. She was right. The kids at school had been right. The teachers had been right. Your father had been right. **

Part of you, though, knew better. Deep, deep inside, encrusted in the depths of your core, you knew none of this was true. A tiny, tiny, weak voice in you -less than a whisper- was telling you to stop believing her and to believe in yourself instead. But it was so tiny, you could barely hear it.

It took you over half an hour and copious amounts of determination to finally pull yourself out of your break down, wash your tear-stained face in the sink, wait for the evidence on your face to fade just enough, and walk out the door like nothing was wrong.

But everything was wrong. And your face could barely hide it. Luckily, nobody seemed to notice.

When you sat back down at the table, Mettaton barely noticed.

"Oh, hey, darling," he said, briefly glancing at you before continuing his conversation with Caitlyn.

She didn't even glance at you. And none of them cared to ask where you had gone to for so long. They just went on with their super exciting conversation about designer clothes and fashion week and expensive things you could never in life dream to afford, and luxurious places you'd probably never go to. You listened in without interest and drank the last bit of your half-full glass in two good swigs, which left you feeling a bit dizzy and slightly numb after a while. You looked down at your hands and idly played with a loose string on your jacket.

Their super interesting conversation about rich-people-stuff-only went on and on...and on...and on...for at least half an hour, until you finally decided it was time to get the hell out.

You slowly stood up from your seat, picked up your guitar case and your bag, muttered a shy, "I gotta go, bye," and turned to leave.

Mettaton finally looked up. "Darling? Do you want me to take you home?" he offered.

You turned around briefly. "No. thanks," you muttered sullenly and walked away.

__________________________________________________

**If you do happen to feel this way irl I want you to know that it is certainly NOT true. None of it. You are all amazing and beautiful and unique, and you should never feel like you're less than anybody. I want you to enjoy this story, but above all, I want you to stay safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Next chapter is all fluff, so don't murder me yet o_o 
> 
> Oh btw, I am all alone in Boston rn, and will be for two more weeks, so if any of you are anywhere nearby and wanna hang out, lemme know~
> 
> Please comment! Tell me about your anguish <3


	14. Thank You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have a pile of fluff, nerds~  
> Enjoy it while it lasts >:)

Suggested Listening:

Carry You Home - James Blunt

Death By Glamour - Undertale Soundtrack 

 

Catching a glimpse of the pain in your eyes, Mettaton was about to stand up and follow you to the door and ask if you were alright, but Caitlyn grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"Hey, where are you going? It's kinda rude to just leave me hanging in the middle of a conversation, pretty boy," she said teasingly.

"I just want to ask them if they're alright," he said, looking over at you as you walked off.

"They'll be fine, don't worry," she grinned.

He waited till he saw you disappear at the door to finally turn to look at her again.

She smiled brightly at him as she traced little circles on the back of his hand. "So, anyway, as I was telling you-"

"I'm sorry, darling. I think that it's best if we continue this conversation some other time. I have to go now," he said as he stood up from the seat.

"Oh...alright then," she smiled weakly, but it came out more like a pout.

"Don't worry, we'll see each other soon," he said, flashing a charming smile at her before he turned to leave.

He quickly made his way out of the club and scanned his surroundings, looking for you. He soon spotted you a few feet away and hurried up to catch up to you.

"Darling?" he asked in a gentle tone as he came up behind you.

You swiftly turned around, wide eyed. "W-what are you doing here?" you mumbled.

"I couldn't help but notice the look of distress upon your face, dear. So I simply had to know you were alright," he offered you a smile.

"Well, I'm fine. You can go back to Caitlyn now," you replied curtly, walking ahead of him. Or trying to. He didn't really struggle with keeping up with you. His legs were long enough to walk at a normal pace while you struggled to walk faster.

"No. I'm not leaving your side until I know you're alright," he replied in a slightly stern voice.

A dry chuckle escaped your lips. "For that, you'd have to stay forever probably," you answered sarcastically.

He suddenly got ahold of your wrist and gently pulled you closer, stopping you.

"So be it," he smirked.

"Tch," you frowned and looked away, trying to disguise your flustered state as annoyance. He stood there, searching your eyes, trying to dig for the problem, but it wasn't that easy to find. "What's wrong, sunshine?" he asked in the sweetest, most mellow voice. You could almost see roses floating around him.

"Stop it. Stop doing that," you sighed, closing your eyes for a second, not being able to bear his gaze on you right now.

"What?"

"This! This whole thing you always do. Just. Stop. Please." You looked down at your feet and bit down hard on your lower lip.

He promptly let go of your wrist. "Alright."

You stood there quietly for a second, shaking slightly.

"Are you cold?"

You shook your head and kept walking. He walked beside you. You kept shaking, your jacket failing to do it's job. Your apartment was still about 15 minutes away. You mentally kicked yourself for not taking the sub or bringing your bike or anything but having to walk in this freezing midnight autumn weather.

"Darling, you're freezing," Mettaton said with concern in his voice.

You shook your head, keeping your eyes on the ground as you walked.

He chuckled slightly. "Come here. I'll keep you warm," he said, offering to put an arm around you. "Alphys installed heating coils in me for cold weather," he explained.

You shook your head -refusing to let go of your pride- hugging your free arm tightly around your chest. "I'm okay."

He said your name, insisting.

You glanced up at him, hesitating for a moment. His glimmering eye and his soft expression got you. You sighed, "Fine."

He smiled and gently wrapped his arm around you, pulling you closer to him. His glittery jacket was a bit itchy, but his warm noodly arms and the warmth emanating from his chest plate drew you closer. He snaked his other arm around your belly to reach for your guitar, gently taking it from you so he could carry it with his other hand. You smiled softly, feeling your cheeks grow hot.

"You can put your arm around me," he said gently.

You hesitantly brought your arm to wrap around his lower back.

He chuckled softly. "Don't be scared. I don't bite. Much." There is was. That obnoxious smirk in his voice.

You couldn't help but let out a small laugh. He was such a dork.

He grinned softly, loving the sound of your joy. He pulled you in a tiny bit closer. You didn't protest. He kept your mind off of things, making small talk the rest of the way to your apartment. By the time you got to the front door of the building, you had forgotten all about Caitlyn, at least for a while.

"So, anyway, they absolutely loved their birthday cake. They couldn't finish it all in one day though, since it was quite large, and they were the only one who could eat it because it was a ghost cake, but they said it was the best they ever had. All thanks to me," he smirked.

He had been telling you all about his cousin's birthday last year, and the cake he made for them with ghost ingredients for a ghost cake. You smiled softly as you unlocked the front door of the building.

"Cool," you answered casually as you turned the key and pushed the door open. "Hey, so um..." you turned awkwardly to face him, rubbing the back of your neck. "Would you uh. Do you...do you wanna come in for a little while?" you bit your lip. "Like, I'm guessing you could get picked up here, so you don't have to walk all the way to the hotel and stuff..."

"Oh, of course, I would love to," he smiled brightly. "Thank you darling."

You smiled slightly. "kay, cool," you said as you walked inside, and led him down the hall, into the elevator. Once you got to your floor, you walked out and headed towards your door. You unlocked it, and put your hand on the knob, but didn't turn it.

"I um...my apartment's not exactly. Y'know. It's not. Uh. It's most likely not like any of the stuff your used to. It's really small and-"

"Darling. It's alright. I used to live in a small house too," he said reassuringly.

You smiled softly. "Okay," you said as you opened the door. As you stepped inside, you flipped the lights on and went to drop your bag beside your desk. He came in and closed the door behind him, looking around.

"It's very pretty," he smiled softly. "Did you decorate it?"

"Yep," you smiled proudly. "Thanks."

He took his wig off and followed you around to the living room and bedroom area, looking around at all your stuff, the piano, the sofa, the pretty lamp beside it, your bed, the nerdy plush toys, the string lights, the action figures and books on the shelves, your messy, cluttered desk stained with paint, marker, nail polish, and god know what else, the posters on the walls, the pictures...

"Hey, it's little Frisk!" he walked over to the wall where all your pictures were hanging, and pointed at one of the pictures, with you, Frisk, and Toriel at a picnic.

"Yeah, they take piano lessons with me," you explained. "Oh yeah. I totally forgot. They told me to tell you they say hi," you smiled sheepishly.

"Tell them I say hello, too," he smiled, still looking at the pictures. "Who are these? I think I've seen them before," he asked, pointing at one with you and two certain skelebros.

"Oh, he's Sans, and he's Papyrus," you said, pointing at each one. "They're my friends. More like my brothers, actually. Sans is like my older brother, and Paps is like my younger brother," you smiled softly.

He grinned. He studied the pictures for a little longer, and then went on and looked around the rest of your bedroom area. He smiled at the posters. "You have an amazing taste in music."

"Thanks," you smiled back.

He pouted then. "But there are no posters of me..."

"Sorry that I'm not obsessed with you?" you snickered.

"Yet," he smirked.

You rolled your eyes.

He chuckled. "So...where do I put your guitar by the way?" he stood there, holding it up.

"Oh, right! Sorry. Right there, beside the piano. Thanks."

"Okay," he carefully placed it beside the piano, against the wall. He looked over at the shiny keys and couldn't resist playing a random melody. Then he seemed to be trying to figure out the right notes of a song, but obviously had no clue of how to play it.

You chuckled softly. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to play Death by Glamour," he said, without looking up, still trying to figure it out.

You chuckled softly again. "Of course." You kept watching him fail for a bit longer, until you gave up and went over to his side. "Alright, no, no. Stop. Here, sit down," you said, motioning for him to sit at the stool.

He sat and scooted over so you could sit beside him. "You know it?" he asked, raising his brow slightly.

"No, but it's pretty simple to figure out," you smiled softly. "Okay so, first, you gotta know the basic stuff. This one's C," you lightly pressed your finger to the key. "Up here, it would be this one," you pointed at the one closest to him, and he played the note. "Cool, now this one's D," you played the one beside C. He mimicked you. "Then E, F, G, A, B," you said, naming each note as you played it. He copied you. "Alright, now these, the black ones, are sharps or flats. This one's C sharp, or D flat" you played the key between C and D, "this one's D sharp, or E flat," you played the next one, and so on until the last one.

"Cool, now that you know these, we can play the first bit. Start with D sharp," you pressed your finger on the key. He looked slightly confused for a second, but then found the right key. "Okay, now F sharp...yeah right there," you watched him copy your finger movements. "Then, C sharp...C...now D sharp twice...F sharp...no, no, this one," you reached over and gently placed his finger on the right key. "Good. Now C sharp, and C," you played the final note at the same time. "Good. now you just repeat that little thing a few times, and you got the first bit."

You started out slow, waiting for him to catch up to you, then when he got the hang of it, you played at the same time. "Good!" you smiled.

"It's pretty easy," he grinned proudly.

"It gets a bit harder now though, but I think you'll get it pretty quick," you grinned.

You went on and taught him the whole song. He had a bit of trouble at first, but he got the hang of it eventually, and pretty soon, he was playing at your pace. Well, not exactly, because you had slowed down the tempo a bit, but it was a huge start. For the next hour, you and him played the song. You practiced slowly at first, always waiting for him to catch up to you, patiently correcting his mistakes, and when he was ready, you sped up the pace little by little, until you were playing the whole song flawlessly, in perfect harmony.

You finally hit the last notes, and ended the song together. You smiled widely and looked up at him at the same time he looked down at you with the same lit up expression on both of your faces.

"That was a.ma.zing!" you exclaimed.

"Thank you darling, but truthfully, it is all thanks to you. You're very talented," he said with a huge smile on his face.

Heat shot through your whole face, and you had to look down and bite down on your stupid little grin to stop yourself from reaching up and kissing him right there right now. You quickly shook the stupid thought off of your mind. No. You don't like him. You don't. But the butterflies were there, and they were fluttering wildly.

"There you are again. That blushing, adorable mess. Where had you gone, dear?" he teased.

You chuckled. "Mettaton," you shook your head and bashfully covered half of your face with your palm.

He laughed softly and suddenly...he leaned down, close to your cheek, and kissed it gently.

You blushed harder than ever, feeling the gentle touch of his lips against your skin send tiny waves of electricity down your back. You sighed, ever so slightly.

When he pulled away, he looked down at your hand resting on the piano and gently traced a small circle on the back, before resting his hand beside it. "You know..." he started, "You're my first human friend," he muttered.

Coming out of your daze, you chuckled. "You mean, besides all your one-night-stand celebrity friends? Oh, I am honored," you replied wittily with a small smirk on your face.

His inner fans started speeding up, making that laptop-like whirring noise. His visible eye went a little wide as he turned his gaze towards you. "Not all of them were like that! Some were just normal outings, nothing more..." he said defensively. He looked down as his fans went full-blast.

You kept laughing quietly. It was fun to turn the tables for once and make him flustered. "Sorry. Sorry. What were you saying?" you asked once your laughter ceased.

He pouted and furrowed his brow. "You've hurt my feelings. I'm not speaking to you now," he said as he looked away from you dramatically.

"But you're talking to me now?" you smiled playfully.

"That didn't count. I was telling you I'm not going to talk to you from this point on," he crossed is arms.

"Oh, but you just did!" you giggled softly.

"That didn't count either."

"Really now?" you retorted.

"Really."

"Alright," you sighed, "Sorry for poking fun at you," you said, rolling your eyes playfully.

"You mean it?" he asked, turning to look at you again.

"Yeah," you replied.

You were caught completely off guard when he suddenly pulled you into a hug. He laughed right by your ear, sending shivers down your spine as you wtf-ed silently.

"I was just playing darling. I don't think I could ever be angry at you," he said with a smile as he pulled away.

You chuckled.

He smiled. "Anyway. As I was telling you, before you so kindly interrupted my soliloquy," he glared at you playfully. You smiled cheekily. "You, my dear, are my first real human friend," he shifted his position so he was completely facing you, "You're the first person I've encountered on the surface who doesn't immediately want something from me, and that is something I appreciate immensely. I love the way you're just so you," he smiled softly. "And I can tell by those small glimpses of you which you have allowed me to see, that you are genuine." His voice alone seemed to be dripping honey off of each syllable, and it was making you melt. You could also tell he was being completely serious about this.   
  
Your cheeks grew even hotter, so you looked down at your hands bashfully. "Thanks," you muttered, feeling quite speechless.

"No," he shook his head. "Thank you."

 


End file.
